


the thing that remains

by tciddaemina



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dressrosa Arc, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Insomnia, M/M, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, PTSD, Punk Hazard Arc, Slow Burn, Trafalgar Law POV, Wano Arc (One Piece), Work In Progress, Zou Arc (One Piece), the heart pirates - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 118,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tciddaemina/pseuds/tciddaemina
Summary: Law had it all prepared. He had a plan, and it didn't matter that he probably wouldn't survive it. He's been living on borrowed time all these years, and if his life is the price that must be paid to finally avenge Cora then Law will consider it a price well paid. The Straw Hats... Well they're a gamble, one that turns everything on it's head.Live, Straw Hat said. Law doesn't think he knows how.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar Law
Comments: 55
Kudos: 296





	1. declarations of war

**Author's Note:**

> This story is still a work in progress, so be aware of that when you start. It isn't finished and may not be for a while - my update schedule tends to be pretty sporadic. It's unbetaed, so if you spot an errors let me know. 
> 
> Law is a complete fucking mess for the vast majority of this story, but then it's Law so that's hardly anything out of the ordinary. He doesn't have a super healthy mentality, but its nothing that's not seen in canon. Romance is slow burn. _Very_ slow burn, like we're talking glacial paces here.
> 
> Also, for a good section of the story Luffy is referred to as "Straw Hat" by Law, which mostly comes from his wanted poster name Straw Hat Luffy. This can get a little confusing when you consider that his crew are also known as "the Straw Hats". Eventually Law does start calling Luffy by his name, but it takes a while so be aware. "the Straw Hats" are the crew, "Straw Hat" is just Luffy.
> 
> One of the main playlists I listen to when writing this fic Homework Radio's Lo-fi for Witches (Only). Neckbrace by Ratatat is what I imagine Law's theme tune would be, if he were ever so musically inclined. Give em a geez. 
> 
> For those of you who haven't read RememberThePetrichor's atra inclinant, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's a beautiful and deeply chilling rendition of Doflamingo and Rosinante's (brotherly!) relationship. It has no direct connection with this story, but it's well worth a read.

There's a moment of breathless silence as Straw Hat kneels at the fishman's side, smoke still rising from the barrel of the Tenryuubito's pistol. The auction house watches on silence, caught somewhere between shock and anticipation, and Law leans forwards. _No, surely he wouldn't-_

In one decisive movement Straw Hat lurches to his feet and twists. The auction house collectively flinches, faces twisting in horror as shards of glass clatter to the ground. The Tenryuubito takes one stumbling step back and collapses.

"Sorry guys." Straw Hat says, but anyone with eyes can see that he isn't, not really. Even in his wanted posters Straw Hat Luffy grins, but he's not smiling now. His expression is cold, angry, and it should look wrong on his cheerful face, but somehow it doesn't.

There's something like glee bubbling in his chest, and it's only when his shoulders start to shake that Law realizes it's laughter. Around him the auction house screams, hardened pirates and ruthless slavers throwing themselves over the seats and fleeing towards the exits. Law laughs so hard he almost chokes, breathless and disbelieving and so _fucking amazed_. Bepo bristles, shooting him a nervous look, but stays in his seat.

At the center of it all stand the Straw Hats, not a single one batting an eye at the screaming chaos they've caused. Within ten minutes of Straw Hat arriving one person has been shot, two dozen more knocked unconscious, and the Dark King himself has appeared from the depths of the auction house. In one day Straw Hat had caused more chaos than the Heart Pirates have experienced in three whole months on the Grand Line.

This, Law learns, is not an uncommon occurrence.

The Straw Hats take care of the rest of the Tenryuubito in short order, fussing over the mermaid that had been on sale as they plan their escape. "Usopp! Robin! Brook! You're here! Come on we need to go! The Marines are on their way!" Straw Hat bouncing up the stairs, the poor fool actually _smiling._

Law shouldn't get involved, should gather his crew and quit Sabaody as soon as possible, but something makes him speak up. Maybe its respect for having the stones to take on the Tenryuubito when even the most fearsome pirate captains just bow and scrape, biting their tongues and cowering. Or maybe is a sick sort of curiosity over what will happen next. "It's too late for that." Law says, leaning back in his chair and watching the Straw Hats reactions. "The Marines are already here. Have been for a while. Don't know who they wanted to catch but-" Law chuckles darkly. "Well I don't suppose it matters now."

The Marines were already blaring their demands. _"-uction house is surrounded. Release the Roswald family and surrender peacefully. I repeat: we have you surrounded. Release-"_

There was a bark of laughter from the doors. Eustass Kid's smile is a mean thing, all teeth, and Law has no doubt he's used to being the meanest thing in the room. "This is fucking wild. I love it." Kid says, grin so wide Law can almost count his teeth. He claps his hands together. "All right, how about this - it just about time for us to go, so we'll take care of all those Marines out front. Think of it as me cleaning up your mess or something." Kid calls over his shoulder, already heading for the door. "Just sit tight."

Law's fingers tightened around Kikoku's hilt and he sweeps to his feet, glaring after Kid. "Bepo, take the others and go ahead. Get the _Polar Tang_ ready to dive."

"What about you, captain?" Bepo says, claws clenching and unclenching on the fabric of his jumpsuit. He glances anxiously at the doors of the auction house and Kid's retreating back. "What are you going to do?"

"Something reckless." Law says. The smart play would be to disappear out the back door and not look back but fuck that. Fuck the Marines, fuck the Tenryuubito and most of all fuck Eustass Kid. Clean up his fucking mess. Yeah right.

"Ah." Bepo blinks. "All right. Um, we'll see you later then? Just be careful!"

"Yeah yeah, just get out of here." Law says, vaulting over the back of the seat. Straw Hat meets him on the stairs, expression set into a stubborn frown.

"You guys should go." Straw Hat says, shooting him a sideways glance as they stride to the doors. "I'll take care of this."

"No fucking chance." Law scowls back, rolling his shoulders. It's been far too long since he'd had a proper fight. 

Straw Hat grins, then he twists, leg moving so fast he seems to blur. In a single smooth motion he kicks the door off its hinges sending it crashing to the ground several meters away. The Marines swarm before the auction house like hornets around a kicked nest, bristling with weapons and still shouting their demands. Kid glances at Law and Straw Hat over his shoulder, smirking. "And here I thought I'd have them all to myself."

"Shut the fuck up." Law says blandly, just as the first volley of cannon fire explodes across the field, the Marines losing patience. Law exhales, rolling his shoulders, and there's a sensation not unlike water running over his skin as the _Room_ bursts forth, swelling to encompass the auction house in an instant. 

He can feel the last of the pirates escaping his auction house, scurrying across his senses like ants across his skin. The Marines stretch before him arranged in neat little lines, and Law can feel every heaving body, sweating and breathing, the blood pumping through their veins and the trickle of sweat on their brows. They lay themselves out before him like specimens on his table, each one waiting its turn for the bite of his scalpel.

A single swipe of Kikoku severs the nearest Marine's head from his shoulders. A twitch of his fingers and it hands softly in his hand, making a cry of pain as a cannonball reappears in its place, engulfing the Marine in a cloud of acrid fire. The head's cries cut off with a gurgling noise as the body collapses in a smoldering heap. Law tosses it over his shoulder without a second glance, already moving on to the next target.

It's always interesting observing the moment people realized the extent of his power, the way their eyes widen in surprise as their limbs go flying, still thrashing and struggling even as they hit the ground. It's the shock, he thinks, or perhaps that moment of dawning comprehension, anger giving way to a choking horror as they fall to the ground, surrounded by their own scattered pieces. Another body falls, crying out in surprise, and Law feels the edge of a smile, already whirling. A dozen Marines in the circumference of his Room, and more charging towards him. Law cuts through them all like a hot knife through butter.

He makes an annoyed noise, stepping over the writhing pile of limbs grasping for his ankle, glancing around. Kid and Straw Hat don't appear to be having any trouble. Star Hat carves a path of rampant destruction through the Marines, a cacophony of shouting and gleeful whoops, and Law looks over just in time to see Straw Hat send a cluster of marines flying with a sweep of his arm, the limb somehow grown to enormous size. Law cuts down another three men, switching their parts at random with a sweep of his hand as Straw Hat twirls, laughing, arm shrinking down with a hiss of steam even has be plants his foot into a Marines face. Straw Hat's surrounded by Marines, with more appearing each minute, and yet he looks like he's having the time of his life.

Above it all, weapons clatter together in a sinister swarm, coiling around Kidd in a roiling cloud, only growing larger as more Marines appear and their weapons rip themselves from their hands and join the storm. Kidd spreads his arm and the storm bristles, weapons turning to point back at their owners. The Marines barely have a moment to cry out, faces going pale, before the air erupts in a storm of fire and gunpowder, gunshots echoing like thunder as bodies fall by the dozens before him. 

It's a massacre, plain and simple, though Law doesn't know what the Marines were expecting, taking on members of the Worst Generation with only cannon fodder to swell the ranks. Still, this is only the first stage. Someone has laid hands on a Tenryuubito, and all of Sabaody will suffer for it before the end. 

A single man remains motionless in the midst of all the chaos, kneeling by the door to Sabaody Park. A slave - the very same one Law saw crawling on all fours behind the Tenryuubito when the Roswalds arrived at the auction house. Now he sits silent, his handed folded in his lap, face blanks. Law almost writes him off as a lost cause, almost turning away, but something in his eyes catches Law's attention. There's a glint there, hard and steely. It's satisfaction. Unrepentant vicious _satisfaction_ as he watches the Marines try and fail and fail again to reaching their precious Tenryuubito.

Four Marines come charging at Law, swords brandished, and he cuts them down before they can so much as swing, leaving them strewn across the ground in pieces as he walks over to the slave. "You're Captain Jean Bart." Law says, _shambling_ a gun out a marines hand and turning it back on him. There's a pained cry as the Marine goes down and Law tosses the gun over his shoulder, irreverent. He can never be bothered reloading the damned things. "Figured you were dead."

Jean Bart stills, something shifting in his expression. "No one has called me that name in a long time." Law doesn't have to wonder why. The chains around his wrist are gleaming and new, but the skin beneath is worn down by years of hard exposure, the harsh edge of his shackles biting deep and leaving the skin irrevocably scarred. His neck is not much better, and even though his plain shift Law can see the reaching scars of the whip clawing up past his collar. The Tenryuubito never fucking change.

Law makes a thoughtful noise, waving one hand. Jean Bart's collar clatters to the ground in the midst of the Marines, the explosion scattering the crowd and rending the air with pained howls. Law watches the smoke settle with a smile, then turns back to Jean Bart. "How would you like to be known by it again?"

Jean Bart shifts, rolling his shoulders, and rises. He towers over Law, a fearsome pirate in his own right even after years of slavery. "Gladly." Jean Bart rumbles, breaking the chain of his shackles with one powerful yank. "I'd happily work under any man who'll stand up to the Tenyuubito."

Law chuckles, inclining his head towards the fight. "I think you have Straw Hat to thank for that, but I suppose we'll see."

The rest of the Straw Hats come pouring out of the auction house a moment later and the few Marines still standing quickly find themselves quashed beneath the cheerful stampede. Straw Hat laughs uproariously as he bounds after his crew, and Law follows suit, slipping away in the direction of Grove 13, Jean Bart following a step behind. The last he sees of Straw Hat is a hand rising into the air to catch his hat, laughing ringing behind him as he disappears into the next grove with a whole pack of Marines on his tail.

_The Worst Generation,_ the newspapers called them. Seems they'd been onto something after all.

* * *

"Are we leaving Sabaody?" Bepo asks, guiding the _Polar Tang_ deeper into the waves. Law slouches in the captain's chair, wiping the blood from Kikoku and considering their options. Jean Bart lurks by the door - not uncertain, but keeping himself out of the way, watching the dive process curiously.

"Not yet." Law decides, sliding Kikoku back into its sheath. "Go beneath the mangroves, let's give it a day then surface on the other side of the island. I want to see how this goes down."

Bepo nods. "That's good. We didn't manage to finish restocking."

"Ikkaku!" Law calls, jerking his head in Jean Bart's direction. "Find this one a bunk and get his shackles sorted. I want to see him in the infirmary in an hour."

"What? Why do I have to do it? Make Clione show the new guy around!" Ikkaku scowls. Law just shoots her a bland look, legs kicked over the arm of his chair, Kikoku leaning against his shoulder. Ikkaku bitches and moans but eventually hops down from the table, marching out the door and motioning for Jean Bart to follow. He can hear her beginning her interrogation before the doors even close. "So what's with all the face tattoos? I mean, like, tattoos are cool, but why your _face_ , you know? And-"

Law leans back in his chair, ignoring the sideways look Bepo shoots him. "Picking up strays, Captain?"

"You're all strays." Law replies. Ikkaku's by far the most obnoxious person in Law's crew. If anyone's likely to drive Jean Bart to murderous paroxysms it's her, and Law would rather learn Jean Bart's true temperament sooner rather than later. If Jean Bart does try anything Ikkaku can take care of herself. Worst comes to worst they'll end up with a singed corridor and there'll be another body floating below the reaching roots of the mangroves.

"Bring up the radio receptors." Law orders, ignoring Bepo's knowing look. "I want to hear every move the Marine's make"

"Aye aye, Captain."

* * *

It takes three days for the fires on Sabaody to stop burning, and by the time they do half the groves have been reduced to smoking rubble. Officially there are no civilian casualties, all areas evacuated of innocents well ahead of time, but Law's seen this song and dance far too many times. No doubt more than a few poor fucks lost their lives in the raid, though their names will likely never see the light of day. 

He waits an extra day just to be sure, surfacing the _Polar Tang_ in some small out of the way grove, then takes a tip through town, Bepo trotting anxiously at his side. The Admirals attack left whole Groves decimated, and a good part of the town just doesn't exist anymore, the blackened wrecks still smoking faintly from the aftermath of cannonfire. Anybody with two brain cells had bailed faster than a sinking ship after the Tenryuubito incident, but despite it there's still a sizable crowd milling around the broken streets. 

"Do you know Straw Hat, Captain?" Bepo asks, sending a nervous look at a nearby patrol and edging closer to Law. 

"No." Law says, but leans against the crumbling walls to listen to the gossip anyway. Nobody can say one way or the other if the Straw hats are still alive. Some swear fervently that they're dead, spinning wild tales about the Shichibukai Kuma having a mysterious hoard of identical brothers, while others recount Admiral Kizaru and the Dark King's fight blow by blow, absolutely certain that they'd heard the Dark King saying something about covering the Straw Hats escape. The official Marine transmissions aren't much better, and in the end Law shrugs and gives it up. Straw Hat is either dead or he isn't, and if he is then, well, he was hardly worth the attention to begin with. 

It's not that Law cares, but- Straw Hat is the first person Law has seen with the balls to just stand up and punch a Tenryuubito in the face. He's a curiosity. 

"Come on." Law says, pushing off the wall. "Let's finish getting those supplies." What little of Sabaody remains is thick with the arid stench of smoke, choked with a crowding press of bodies, too many pale faced people all crammed into one place, fleeing the destruction of the rest of the island. The self-same people the Marines swore to defend, now left displaced and desolate, all for the sake of avenging one petty slight made by a too-young, foolhardy kid. He wonders what the Marines tell themselves, what petty excuses they weave to try and justify it. Law soaks it all in, lingering in the market as Uni haggles for supplies. Sachi and Penguin dog his steps, trying to convince him to buy ever more extravagance treats and trinkets, only to be shot down every time.

Another patrol rushes part, hurrying down the street, and Law stares after them with a hard eye. The Marines are up to something. They'd commandeered one of the largest Groves and have been setting something up - some sort of massive screen. There are few enough events the World Government cares to broadcast, let alone on such a large a scale as the screen implies, and Law is rather curious what it will be this time.

The next morning Law doesn't have to wonder. _FIRE FIST ACE TO BE EXECUTED IN 2 DAYS!_

_This_ , Law thinks, staring down at the paper, _is going to change everything._

* * *

There are moments that go down in history, moments that people point back to and say _this, this is when it started,_ and this is one of them. Ace's execution is not merely crime and punishment, it's an act of war. The first mate of Whitebeard's fleet, son in all but blood of the most powerful pirates to sail the four Blues-

No. This is not merely an execution. It's a provocation, an invitation, and the whole world gathers to watch how it will play out. There is a balance you see, between the Marines and the Emperors, a careful divvying of land and sea, unspoken rules that say _stay over there and we'll look the other way_ , and the Marine's have just taken a sledge hammer to it. Because this isn't just an attack on Whitebeard, it's an attack on every pirate who calls themselves lord and master, a call to open war against any who hoists a black flag. 

Thousands gather in Grove 7 to watch the execution, pressed in until people are crowded shoulder to shoulder, with more still climbing over the rolling roots of the mangroves to watch. Law and his crew sit at the back of it, perched off to the side, and watch as the crowd roils and heaves as Fleet Admiral Sengoku announces Firefist's crimes, his birthright - and ain't that a kicker. Then things go to shit, the camera's shaking as the first explosion goes off. There's a cry of outrage when the screens go dark, the transmission cutting out with no warning, but Law just makes an amused noise, already rising to his feet. The Marines and World Government tiptoe the line between righteous fury and cloying hypocrisy, and if they've cut the video-feed its because they're planning something that would sully their image, something that would rattle the public's trust. Anything that's too dark, too vicious for the good guys gets swept under the rug. Just like Fleavance.

"Get the _Polar Tang_ ready." Law says, striding away from the crowd. "We're going."

"What?" Bepo asks, fur bristling. He glances back at the darkened screens, trepidation evident. Marineford's going to be a shitshow, a battle on a scale unlike anything seen in centuries, and Law's proposing to sail right into the midst of it. Bepo makes an anxious noise, but hops down. The rest of the crew forms up around them, breaking away from the crowd, and they aren't the only ones. Law spots at least three other crews doing the same - Kid among them.

"Whatever happens at Marineford will change the world." Law says coldly. "And I don't intend to rely on the World Government's account of what happened. We're going." 

* * *

Law would say Marineford is unlike anytime he has ever seen, but it's not. It's all too familiar. 

A tsunami looms over the islands, frozen in the act of falling and now background to a scene of utter devastation. Gunpowder chokes the air, burning his throat with every inhale, and each step squelches, blood soaking into the ground like the flood after a storm. Bodies lines the ground knee deep and with every step the screams grow louder, battle cries and terrified screams, shouted orders and wet sobs from men that lie in the mud, filthy pirates and decorated marines alike scrabbling to hold in their guts and stem the bleeding, and Law half expects to see their skin dotted with white, to look down and see the pale patterns of Amber Lead Syndrome on his own skin once more. A man writhes in the mud before him, clutching his severed leg, and Law steps over him without a second glance. The man will be dead within ten minutes, with or without a doctor, and Law doesn't have any sentiment to spare for dying strangers.

This has none of the Ope-Ope's fruits clean lines, surgical straight and so sharp its over before it even begins. This is raw and ragged, bodies ripped open and left dying in the dirt, chaotic, wasteful, and Law has never put much stock in human life, cant after Flevance, but this is senseless, death for the sake of death, and it rubs Law the wrong way. And there, at the center of it all, is Straw Hat Luffy, cradled in Shichibukai Jinbe's mighty arms.

Law doesn't know why he does it. He has no plan, no justification save the sense of mild curiosity that has lingered since his last meeting with Straw Hat, a half-hearted respect for the one man who's punched Tenryuubito in the face and lived to tell the tale. Or maybe its just because Straw Hat looks so small in Jinbe's arms, so tiny and fragile, and Law knows what its like to be a child caught in the midst of war, to give it your all and have it still not be enough.

_"Bring him here!"_ He shouts, blocking a wild swing from a wide eyed marine, barely more than a boy and yet armed and sent to the battlefield, to fight and kill and die for the sake of a cause that won't even remember his name. Law sends him tumbling to the ground in pieces and doesn't look back. _"I'm a doctor!"_

Jinbe turns, eyes locking with his. The Whitebeard Pirates fall in around him, desperate in their fury, and together they barreling towards the _Polar Tang_ , Jinbe at their head. Straw Hat's hangs limp in his arms, eyes rolled back into his head, blood slowly oozing from the charred crater of his chest. Law meets them halfway, reaching for Straw Hat even as they sprint back towards his ship. The only thing that stops Straw Hat's heart failing on the journey back to the _Polar Tang_ is Law's hand on his chest, _Room_ seeping deep into his bones and freezing his heart between beats, holding it in stasis until Law can get him on the operating table.

The ship jerks and shudders as it pulls away, riding through the shockwaves of an earthquake and the dazzling barrage of Kizaku's attacks as he tries to cut off their escape, Akinu hot on his heels. Law rolls with the movement, hands rocky steady, his coat discarded on the floor and blood up to his elbows as he reaches for the scalpel and cuts through the sizzling wreck of Straw Hat's chest.

It takes thirteen hours before Law steps back, hollow eyed and hands wet with blood, and slumps back against the wall. Jinbe watches from across the room where he's sat, silent and solemn, since the moment they laid Straw Hat down on the table. Law lets out a ragged breath, running his hands over his face, too tired to even grimace when the blood smears across his cheek.

"He's stable." Law says, exhausted. Even that is a miracle. Straw Hat's heart stopped three separate times during the operation, and if it'd been anyone other than Law operating he would have been dead within the first hour. By Law's estimate it will take another sixteen hours to completely repair the damage, and even then he'll be facing months of rehabilitation.

The surgery is generous by submarine sizes, but wasn't designed to fit a fishman warrior and when Jinbe stands he looms, filling all available space. He watches the rise and fall of Straw Hat's chest with an indecipherable expression, gaze oddly soft. Not a day ago Law had seen him rip a ship apart with his bare hands but now his hand's are startlingly gentle as they brush a stray lock of hair from Straw Hat's face.

Law reaches into his coat and pulls out a cigarette. He doesn't light it, never does in the surgery, but the feel of it between his lips is comforting. He can almost feel the rush of nicotine across his tired nerves. A placebo effect, Law thinks wryly. When he looks up again Jinbe's dark eyes are on him. "Thank you for saving him."

Law lets his head fall back against the wall. He makes a thoughtful noise. "Didn't do it for you. It's hardly altruistic." It's not even a lie. There are benefits to saving Straw Hat and generous ones at that, not least that he'll now owe Law a rather large favor, Jibe too maybe if he's the sentimental type - not that a single proper reason had been in his head when he'd called out to Jinbe. To tell the truth, Law doesn't know why he helped, but he did and now its time to deal with the fall out. 

Jinbe shrugs. "Does motive really matter? Luffy would have died without you."

Law bites down harshly on the end of his cigarette to keep from arguing. He's too tired for this shit. "Come on." He says instead, narrowing his eyes at the bandages on Jibe's chest. One of Law's men had looked him over but but damned if he was going to let him go without having a proper doctor look at him. "I'm going to get a fucking coffee, and then its your turn." 

* * *

Law never meant to get involved, but somehow he does anyway. He suppose he should have expected it, opening his ship to Jinbe and Straw Hat the way he did. For better or worse they're now his patients, their fates intertwined for the brief moment that they occupy his ship, the feel of their blood still slick on his hands. 

It's the middle of the night when Straw Hat opens his eyes. The only sign he's awake is a slight deepening in his breathing, easily mistaken for someone shifting in their sleep, and it's only because Law is already watching him that he notices at all.

Straw Hat stares up at the ceiling silently. Law's held Straw Hat's beating heart in the palm of his hand as he desperately tried to sew the torn pieces of his flesh back together, has cut him open so many times in the process of saving his life that he could do it with his eyes closed, and yet Straw Hat is as much a stranger as he has ever been. Law knows Straw Hat's inside about just as much intimate detail is possible, but nothing prepared him for anguish in Straw Hat's face in that moment. 

"Ace is dead." Straw Hat says. His voice is raw, ragged, caught between a whisper and a sob. 

"Yeah." Law agrees. He doesn't try to comfort him, doesn't offer any consoling words. People die, that's a fact of life, and nothing Law can say will bring Straw Hat's brother back.

Straw Hat's breath hitches, coming quick and pained. Law leans his head back against the wall, eyes tracing the bolted plates on the ceiling as Straw Hat's shoulders start to shake. He sobs quietly, hands clenched by his sides, tears spilling down his face with no attempt to stop them. Law grinds his cigarette between his teeth and says nothing, letting the silence swallow the quiet noises of Straw Hat's loss. One of the most powerful pirates of their generation crying softly in the dart with only Law for company, and really, how is it that Law gets into these situations?

Later, when Straw Hat's eyes are red and puffy and he's cried himself dry, he sniffs wetly and rubs the last of the tears from his face. When he speaks his voice is hoarse and croaky. "Do you know what they did with his body?"

"Red Haired Shanks took it." Law replies. "I heard the Whitebeard pirates made a grave somewhere."

"Can we go there?" Straw Hat whispers. 

Law glances at him. Straw Hat catches his gaze and holds it, even as tears well in his eyes, spilling freely down his cheeks. He lies there limply, barely able to raise his hands from the bed, and yet Law knows that if he says no he'll drag himself from it anyway, that he'll crawl and claw and tear himself back to pieces if it means getting to his brother's grave just a moment sooner. By all rights Law should say no. Should chuck Jinbe and Straw hat into the nearest dingy and send them on their way, or shove them out an airlock if not that. 

He owes Straw Hat nothing, has already helped him more than he had any duty to. Law isn't kind. He isn't sentimental or generous, isn't the kind to go out of his way just to spare another's feelings. Whitestone is in the New World, at least a week and a half out of the way of his current destination, and going there would take them through seas swarming with Marines. There are any number of reasons to deny his request - not least that all of this, Straw Hat and Fire Fist and the whole damn battle of Marineford, has nothing to do with him. 

And yet...

"Fuck it." Law says. "Alright."

* * *

Rayleigh leads them to the grave, talking softly with Marco the Phoenix all the way up the hill. Marco looks wrecked, deep bags carved beneath his eyes, his chest covered in swathes of bandages, the dark lines of his tattoo just visible at the edges. Even leaning heavily on a crutch he limps severely, their progress up the hill painfully slow.

There's nothing Law wants to do less than visit Straw Hat's brother's grave with Straw Hat, but Straw Hat is his patient. His health is still delicate, and if Law thought he could actually do it he'd have Straw Hat on strict bed rest for another two weeks at least. Not that Straw Hat agreed. Law had taken one look at Straw Hat and prepared his bag instead, packing an extra set of bandages and a syringe of adrenaline. If nothing he can say will convince Straw Hat to stay in bed then Law will do the next best thing and go with him. It should give him a fighting chance if he croaks on the way up the hill. 

Whitebeard's flag flutters on the crest of the hill, dark and ragged, the last tattered remains of what was once a great man. Beneath it lies Whitebeard's grave, still shrouded in his massive white coat, the stiff fabric stained red with blood. Flowers flood around the base, spilling down the hill in a sea of wilting petals, the last testament to the respect and devotion he'd once held. There in its shadow stands a second grave, almost hidden beneath the flowers. Law never met Firefist, but he recognizes the hat hanging from the cross from his wanted posters. The faces grin even now.

_Portgas D. Ace._

Law hangs back, a cigarette smoking between his lips, and averts his eyes as Straw Hat staggers forward, reaching out with a trembling hand. His fingers brush the necklace hanging from the grave and he shudders, stumbling back. His sobs are loud and ugly, sticking wetly in the back of his throat and entering the world as pained wheezes. 

Marco shoulder's shake, his own eyes growing wet, and Law thanks every god that Reyleigh hasn't started crying too. He turns away, looking over the rolling ocean, the sea too blue and clear. The sun glints off the waves, undulating with a gentle wind - the perfect weather for sailing. Law would almost call it ironic. 

Law watches the ocean for a long while, silent and still. By the time the sobs quiet down Law has gone through another two cigarettes and is contemplating a third. Straw Hat kneels in the dirt before the graves, the Rayleigh and Marco at his back, keeping a silent vigil as Straw Hat says his final farewell. His fingers shake as they brush against the brim of the hat, shifting the smiling badge where it threatens to fall askew. Straw Hat leans back, turns to Whitebeards grave. For a long moment he's silent, watching the sleeves of the greatcoat swaying gently in the sea breeze. 

"He was Ace's dad, right?" Straw Hat says finally, voice soft and quiet. 

Marco swallows thickly. "Yeah. Whitebeard was... he was a dad to all of us. A real dad."

"Good." Straw Hat nods, no less solemn despite his loud sniffling. "Ace always wanted a dad."

"Yeah." Marco agrees, voice breaking. He rubs a hand roughly across his face, smothering any tears before they can fall, and when his hands fall away he's smiling. "He did."

* * *

They stay moored on the island for another week. The Heart Pirates didn't suffer any losses at Marine Ford, but Penguin's leg is broken and Jean Bart has a nasty concussion that's still showing slight effects a week later. Law orders strict rest for the both of them and sets the rest of his crew to work restocking the pantry and cleaning out the air filters. The town on Whitestone is tiny, barely warranting the name, but Bepo does his best, scouring the shops for supplies, taking along Sachi to haggle on his behalf when it comes to dealing with the local merchants. 

Straw Hat spends more time on his feet than Law would like. He, and by extension Law, visits the grave daily, sitting on the cliff for hours and just talking. Law tries not to listen, lingering at a distance, but he still hears more than he would like.

"- and then Buggy started a revolution!" Straw Hat says, grinning. "But all the prisoners were too scared to escape, so we had to go beat up some weird animals first." Then, so quiet Law almost doesn't hear it. "You would have loved it, Ace."

Law closes his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face wearily, and wanders further away before he can hear any more.

* * *

"Didn't expect us to stick around for this long, to be honest." Ikkaku remarks, leaning against the rail on the top deck. 

Law shoots her a irritated look, taking another long drag of his cigarette, but doesn't say anything, exhaling a slow, steady stream of smoke. There's a bark of noise from below them, Rayleigh slapping at Straw Hat's hands as he tries to reach for the food before its done. In retrospect, Law's glad Jinbe and Rayleigh seem to have taken as it as their duty to ensure Straw Hats well being, because he would have eaten the Heart Pirates out of house and home before the end of the first day. Straw Hat puts away enough food for five grown men, collapsing in a food-induced coma at the end of each day and waking up again in the morning ready to start it all again. 

Jinbe returns with a basket of fresh produce from the town, and Law watches with a morbid sort of curiosity as half of it disappears down Straw Hat's throat in one mouthful. Recently he's spent more time than he would ever like contemplating just what the fuck goes on in Straw Hat's digestive system.

She follows his gaze to the the party on the beach, Jinbe and Rayleigh talking quietly as Straw Hat devours what looks like half a goddamn shark. She makes a idle noise of bemusement. "Christ Straw Hat's something, isn't he? Must be, if he managed to pique your interest, yeah?

"Call it professional curiosity." Law says. His cigarette burns out and Law drops it, letting it fall over the rail of the Polar Tang and into the surf. Straw Hat is a curious creature, and Law has seen enough that he knows he wants to see how this plays out. Straw Hat and his people have already started rocking the boat. One day they'll take the world by storm, Law is certain of it.

Sometimes it's hard to reconcile that with the quiet, solemn figure that sits before Firefist's grave, silent tears streaming down his face. Other times... well, Straw Hat is exuberant at the best of times and down right mad the rest of the time. Once Straw Hat has set his mind to something nothing can sway his course - not men or gods or the very laws of physics. Useful, Law notes, but unpredictable. A loose cannon. He quietly reevaluates the chances of ever calling in Straw Hat's debt, and settles for _probably not_. 

He turns, heading for the airlock. "Tell the others to begin preparations." He calls over his shoulder. "We set of in an hour."

"What- Oh, c'mon Captain, you know we were planning a barbecue tonight!" Ikakku whines, but Law just raises his hand, giving her a one fingered salute over his shoulder as he drops down the ladder. There's a curse, but Ikkaku still talking common yet so Law figures he's safe from retribution. 

When its time for the _Polar Tang_ to submerge, Straw Hat bounds up to him and traps him in a clumsy hug, the brim of his straw hat bumping against Law's forehead. "Torao! Are you going now?"

_That's not my name,_ Law thinks balefully. He's been correcting Straw Hat for a week now, and after the first two dozen attempts were met with a "Cool! Tarao!" Law had bit the bullet and resigned himself to fuming about it silently. Law settled for sighing loudly and shrugging him off. "Yes. "

Straw Hat releases him easily, but doesn't let go entirely, grabbing Law by the shoulders and giving him an energetic shake. He laughs uproarious, the scar on his cheek crinkling as he grins. "Shishishi! Alright! You're an interesting guy! Fight me next time, yeah? It's a promise!"

Law lets out a frustrated breath, stepping away from him. "Maybe." Law says dismissively, inclining his head to Rayleigh in farewell before climbing up the ladder of the _Polar Tang_. The engines rumbled beneath his feet, exhausts already bubbling as they begin to adjust pressurization in preparation for the dive. He can still hear Straw Hat calling behind him, shouting farewells and waving his hands, but he doesn't look back, closing the airlock with a tight hiss. 

As the _Polar Tang_ sink beneath the waves, Law watches Straw Hat bounce about on the shore, waving his arms, his shouts swallowed up by the rushing of water and the deep rumble of the engines. Law turned his eyes downwards, back into the deep, and washes his hands of the whole affair.

* * *

"You know," Bepo says later, still trying to brush the dried salt out of his fur. He frowns at the brush, expression desolate and betrayed, before abandoning it, resigning himself to the stiffness until he can plead his use of the water quota for a shower. "There are easier ways to make friends."

"Friends?" Law says, throwing his legs over the side of the captain's chair and watching the water slosh against the hull of the _Polar Tang_ as they sink even deeper. The light fades quickly down here, and soon the blinking red lights of the displays eclipse the fading sunlight. "No. But they are players in the game. Straw Hat will be one to watch out for in the New World, mark my words."

"If you say so captain." Bepo says, raising his arm to lick his fur.

"For fucks sake just take a bath." Law says, pulling his hat down so that it covers his eyes. "And someone plot a course to Fishman Island! I'm going to take a nap."


	2. risk and reward

"- it's dangerous! You _know_ it's dangerous. Doflamingo could kill you. The marines could kill you! There's so many things that could go wrong, Captain-"

"I know." Law snaps, shooting Bepo a sharp look. "Bepo, _I know._ "

Bepo deflates, dropping back into his chair. He stares at Law despairingly. "There are so many other ways you could do this, so why-"

_"You know why."_ Law snarls. Bepo flinches, eyes going wide and hurt, before he looks away, eyes sinking to the floor, his whole body seeming to droop. Law takes a deep breath, scrubbing his hands across his face, and dumps his hat on the desk, running his hand roughly through his hair. Fuck. He hates fighting with Bepo. "You know why." Law says again, so fucking _tired._ "You know why it has to be this way, why I have to do this."

Bepo doesn't ask him if he's sure, just nods, staring at his paws. "Yeah, Captain. I know."

That should be the end of it, that was the end of it - Bepo doesn't say another word against the plan, but he spends the rest of the week desolately trailing around the ship, fiddling with his own claws, his face fallen and dejected. Law weathers the silent treatment without a word, but the the rest of the crew react to it the way they always do when Law and Bepo have an argument, alternating between pretending the problem doesn't exist and leaving tentative offerings scattered around the ship in a nervous attempt to fix the prevailing icy mood.

"You'll take the ship ahead and wait for me." Law decides, tracing a finger over the map. "Somewhere out of Doflamingo's territory-" which eliminated at least two dozen islands on the map, and about twice that many possible routes "- and Kaidou's reach. If either hear about you they might retaliate."

"Zou." Bepo says suddenly, breaking his long silence. "We could go to Zou."

Law blinks, taken aback. Zou's untraceable - a moving island that doesn't show up on any log-pose. Most think it only a myth, just another strange story from the New World that passes from ship to ship, spoken after one too many cups of rum and only growing more distorted with every telling. 

"But can we reach it?" Law asks, turning a speculative eye on Bepo.

Bepo shrugs, staring down at his paws. "Minks can always find their way home. It's in our blood. They'll let us stay if we ask nicely, and you can use a vivre card to find your way there after." _After._ That was a delicate way of putting it.

"I thought you weren't going along with this." Law says, leaning back against the table.

"You're an idiot." Bepo says fiercely, finally looking up. His eyes are liquid and warm, his ears twitching, but there's a ferocity to them, a fierce determination that sparks in his eyes, sharp and unyielding. "But you're still the Captain. It's my job to make sure you can do what you want and not get yourself killed. _So._ Let's do it."

Law chuckles, fingers tapping an eager rhythm on the steel bench. Having Bepo back on board is a weight off his chest. Law's a good strategist, stubborn enough to weather most storms and ruthless enough to cut his losses when he needs to, but his plans always go significantly better when Bepo's at his back. "Alright." Law says. "Let's do it."

* * *

Three months. Sixteen ships. 

Barely a day goes by when a crew of prisoners isn't dragged before him swearing and kicking as Sachi and Penguin haul them in one by one, dumping them in front of him. They're a defiant lot, pirates always are, but their ferocity doesn't save them. Each and every one fights and struggles, but ultimately leaves lighter than they'd come, and at the end of each raid his crew carry back another chest, adding it to their growing collection.

They get something of a reputation for fighting dirty, coming upon their enemies from the depths without warning, greeting them with a hail of smoke bombs before the borders sweep up to take care of their enemies while they're still coughing and blind. They cheat ruthlessly, use every dirty tick in the book, and leave a fleet of defeated ships in their wake - defeated, but alive. Pirates spit his name when they hear it, but Law was never in it to make friends. He has a greater schemes in play than senseless murder and pillaging. 

After that, all it takes is a single visit to the closest Marine base.

The _Polar Tang_ emerges from between the waves in a frothing torrent, yellow hull breaching the surface only a few meters from the nearest warship. A ring of rifles meets them as they emerge from the ship, locked and loaded and trained on their heads. "Turn yourselves over calmly! Do not resist arrest!" The commander calls, his drooping belly giving him away even if the bars on his shoulders hadn't. 

A single _Room_ and the barrel of every gun goes crashing to the ground, sliced clean through. The Marines stagger back uncertainly, brandishing their guns uselessly, but Law doesn't pay them any mind, signaling to his crew. One by one they emerge from the depths of the _Polar Tang_ carrying chest after chest, staking them up at Law's back as the Marines watch on agog.

"What is the meaning of this?" The commander shouts, edging closer.

" _This-_ " Law smirks, throwing open the chest to reveal a mountain of dark cubes. Each heart pulses faintly, pumping blood to bodies left far behind. There are dozens of boxes, hundreds of hearts, and with them Law holds an axe over the neck of an entire fleet of pirates."- is my letter of recommendation."

He sweeps an arm backward, gesturing to the mountain of chests. A little dramatic, but Law had been planning this moment for a months. He's allowed to enjoy it a little. "Tell your boss. Trafalgar Law wants to be a Shichibukai."

* * *

A woman with winged arms meets them at the port, her great fluffy feathers puffed up around her to ward off the howling chill of the blizzard. She tilts her head, smiling at him from behind thick glasses, and motions towards the towering mountain behind her. "Caesar will meet you now. This way."

She doesn't wait for him to reply, already picking her way back through the snow. Masked guards scurry to open the gates, a dozen different warning signs glint at him in the dim light as they swing open. Law spares them a brief glance, letting out an amused noise, before stepping through the gates regardless.

Akainu and Aokiji's battle turned Punk Hazard into a wasteland - what was once a temperate and fertile island now plunged into a blazing storm. Half of the island is bathed in fire, the earth cracked and hot, and the other half is caught in the midst of an eternal blizzard, icicles growing from every still surface. Its been a year since the battle and yet its effects show no sign of abating, Akainu and Aokiji's powers still battling for supremacy even long after the battle itself had ended.

Law tucks his chin into the furred rim of his coat, glancing back at Ikkaku and Jean Bart. They shiver from within the bulk of their thick cloaks, not leaving until Law gives them a pointed nod. The _Polar Tang_ will lurk in the waters outside Punk Hazard until nightfall, until Law knows whether his gambit has paid off and then, whatever the result, they'll be off to Zou. 

Caesar Clown is a strange creature, stranger even than his harpy of a secretary. An almost unparalleled mind in the field of chemistry and alchemy, but Law has never met a more self-absorbed imbecile. He eyes Law with open suspicion when he first walks into the room but melts after only a few paltry lines of flattery, fluttering about in a haze of bliss after Law makes a bland comment about the ingenuity of his research.

Monet flips through a newspaper at the bar, making only the most minimal attempt at pretending she isn't watching them both carefully from the corner of her eye. She'd served them drinks then wandered off to the side, never straying out of earshot. Law holds his coffee but doesn't take a single sip. Caesar is known for his poisons and Law isn't keen on testing their effect first hand. 

"So." Caesar asks finally, squinting at him across the lip of his cup. "What do you want?"

Law has thought long and hard about how to play this. Caesar is suspicious by nature, neurotically paranoid at best and homicidal at worst. No matter what Law says he'll be suspected of foul play, and Law has no doubt that even if he does somehow make this work that Caesar will turn on him eventually. He hums, pausing as if in the pretense of thought, then cuts straight to the chase. "Punk Hazard was the base of many different government research divisions. All of it outdated these days, but... there may be some things of interest. I want free access to the island to do some research _and-_ " Law sets down his cup, cutting off Caesar before he can speak. "That we each look the other way. I won't look into your research, and you won't tell the Joker I'm here."

Caesar startles, coffee sloshing over his hands. He swears, tossing the cup on the table, and flexes his burnt fingers. Monet looks up curiously, turning to watch them openly. Caesar narrows his eyes, glaring at Law. "Well, aren't you well informed. How do you know about that?"

Law leans back, quirking a brow. "Would you rather someone else have stumbled in? Not everyone is as discrete." 

Caesar laughs, throwing his arms out. Wisps of thick gas linger in the air after his every moment, breaking away from his hazy form and swirling back towards him when he moves too far away. "I don't trust you." Caesar says, eyes narrowing for a second, then he smiles. "But what's the harm, right Monet?"

"Hmm." Monet says, twirling in her chair. "Perhaps you could do something for us. Your skills are renowned. _Surgeon of Death_ , wasn't it? There are many former prisoner still on the island that still suffer the effects of an accident some years ago. Perhaps you could heal them for us, as a token of goodwill of course."

"I might be able to." Law says after a long moment of consideration. They all know he's going to accept, no two ways about it, but the illusion of control is important. There's no question as to whether he can, just how he goes about it, and Law would do much more than play doctor for a few criminals in order to gain access to Punk Hazard. 

"Fine." Caesar says flippantly. "There's another thing. I require... insurance. A guarantee you won't betray us." Caesar rubs his fingers over his chin, making a show of looking thoughtful, then snaps his fingers as if struck by a sudden revelation. Law doesn't believe it for a second. "Give me your heart! You can have Monet's in return, of course, just so everything's fair. It won't be a problem, right?" He says, turning to Monet with a grin. 

"Sounds like a plan, boss." Monet says agreeably. Caesar nods at her gleefully and turns back to Law, narrowing his eyes maliciously. _"Well?"_

It's more of a risk than Law would like, and Bepo would tear his throat out if he heard Law had even contemplated it but- "Of course."

It takes a single burst of _Room_ and a quiet murmur of _Mes_ and his heart sits in Caesars hand. His touch sends a chill through Law's insides. He can feel Caesar's finger on him, the gaseous softness of his fingertips, insidious and unnatural, dragging through Law's insides like ice running down his spine. Caeser turns his heart over in his hands and Law has to swallow back a feeling of nausea at the sensation. There's a wrongness to it, to having his heart to exposed, fragile fresh left bared to the cold air, the most intimate and fragile parts of himself left clutched in Caesar's careless fingers. Every instinct screams to take it back, anxious, primal fear warring with Law's resolve, but instead Law turns away, pocketing Monet's heart instead. Even that is only a paltry reward for the aching hole he's carved into his being.

It doesn't matter. Law has done worse than this got get where he is now, and he will do worse before this is over. Law has no time for fear or hesitation, no room to waver, not now, not here.

Failure is not an option

* * *

_"- be careful captain."_ Bepo says, his voice small and distant, distorted by the denden-mushi. _"You have to come back safe, okay? Promise."_

"You worry too much." Law says, but when Bepo just waits, an expectant tone to his silence, Law sighs. "I'll come back, I promise." 

There's a murmur of static as the someone moves the denden-mushi, then a dozen voices are shouting at once. _"- don't forget to eat all your vegetables!"_ Uni cries, already sounding resigned to chewing Law out the next time he's back on ship. 

_"- have to tell me if you meet any cute girls, okay! I'll kick your butt if you don't!"_ Ikkaku warns and Law makes an annoyed noise. You'd think Ikkaku didn't bring back girls by the dozen every time they go ashore the way she goes on about it. 

_"- bring back any cool loot! Not just musty old books!"_ Penguin and Sachi shout, tripping over each other in their eagerness. 

_"SEE YOU SOON!"_ His crew shouts. Law blinks, taken aback. He nods, realizes they can't see him, and forces himself to speak. "Yeah. See you soon." He says, voice steady even as his hands shake slightly when he goes to turn off the denden-mushi, holding it for a moment longer than need be after the connection has shut down. 

He reminds himself of that conversation every time his progress stalls and his frustration begins to boil over. Law makes a show of searching through the abandoned labs dotted around Punk Hazard, reading through stacks of water damaged and frozen reports and tucking away key pages in his notebook. The vast majority of it is worthless, a useful only as a ruse to get him on the island, but he needs to play the part if he wants Caesar to relax his guard.

Some of it is actually interesting stuff, if functionally useless, and every once in a while Law finds himself writing down notes in his book, anticipating the chance of sharing the story with his crew. Clione would get a real laugh out of some of their early robotics attempts, and even Sachi and Penguin, not the most scholastically minded of his crew, would get a kick out of the Marines fumbling research into bunk psychological phenomena. 

Everywhere he goes he can feel eyes on him. Caesar's men have been following him since he first set foot on the island and their watch only tightens after their agreement. Law hadn't expected anything else. His every move is scrutinized, every line of inquiry ruthlessly investigated, and more than once Law returns to the laboratories he's already searched to find them ransacked. Not that it means much, the laboratories already in a state of advanced decay, but Law has a good memory and the stacks of reports and hastily-scribbled notebooks have always been moved when he returns.

It takes three and a half weeks of searching through the abandoned laboratories before Law learns where the SAD manufacture room is located. By then the guards have relaxed enough to continue talking amongst themselves when Law walks past and its a careful combination of shameless eavesdropping and digging through the building's blueprints that reveals its location. _Sector D Zone 3_ the door says, utterly nondescript.

There's nothing Law want more than to storm it then and there. It's been a decade since Cora died and with every day his death goes unavenged something in Law's chest grows tighter. Law runs his finger over the hilt of his sword - tempted, so _tempted_ \- and tucks his hand into his pocket. He doesn't slow as he passes the door, doesn't do more than glance it out of the corner of his eye, noting every detail - the security pad on the door, the camera watching him from the high on the wall, tracking his every move.

Doflamingo will fall, Law will ensure it, but not yet, not like this. Law is patient. He can wait.

* * *

"You're a great man, Dr Trafalgar!" Brownbeard sobs, watching Smooge gallop around the room, whooping and yelling as he walks under his own power for the first time in years.

Law makes a noncommittal noise, already signaling for the guards to bring in the next cage. What remained of the horse, terribly confused at the loss of its body and panting wide-eyed from its place in the cage, is dragged away to be shot. The next cage screeches as its dragged across the floor, the massive alligator within snapping at the guards and throwing its weight against the bars.

"Fuck me, that's a big crocodile." Brownbeard says, wiping his cheeks with the filthy sleeve of his inmates uniform. "Who's that one for?"

"You." Law replies, severing the alligator in two with a clean swipe of his sword. Brownbeard gasps, turning to him with a look of profound gratitude that leaves Law scowling in return. He busies himself severing the alligators nerves in preparation for the operation to avoid having to look at Brownbeard. He and the other centaurs have some sort of hero-worship thing going on for Caesar that leaves Law slightly baffled, and much to his disgust now he appears to have been added to their list of heros.

The examinations he'd done of the inmates had proved illuminating. A freak accident in one of the labs had wiped out the island four years ago, paralyzing everyone who didn't evacuate in time. A byproduct from one of the labs that had reacted with its disposal unit and exploded, shrouding the island in a poisonous fog. Purely accidental, or so the reports had claimed - but now, looking at the samples he'd extracted from the centaurs bodies, Law didn't doubt for a second that the poison had been engineered. It was too precise, too perfectly targeted to be anything other than the fruit of biochemical engineering.

Law finishes the last of the operations and retreats to his room - a spartan arrangement with a single bed and desk, hidden away in a maze of abandoned corridors. It took a bit of sneaky fiddling with the heating system to redirect heat that far out of the way of the main barracks, but Law is nothing if not meticulous. He simply waited until the guards were distracted with their weekly day of rest then spent three hours crawling through the vents _shambling_ pipes together to redirect hot water to his room. It'd a complete and utter waste of time, but fuck if Law doesn't melt into a puddle when he steps into the shower. The hot water is fucking blissful.

He's made several covert attempts to scope out the SAD manufacture room, going so far as to crawl through the ventilation around the perimeter and spending a downright miserable amount of time listening in to the inane chatter of the guards, parsing out the shipment schedule of the refined SAD from fragmentary complaints about disruptions to the normal shift schedule.

Law makes six separate attempts to gain entry, only to turn away at the last second when each promising lead crumbles like ash between his fingers. The security system is top of the line, and while Law might be able to deactivate the more lethal counter-measures he's yet to find a way to completely turn off the alarm system. It's not a risk he can take. If Caesar suspects even for a second that he's been trying to gain access to the SAD he'll carve up Law's heart without hesitation.

He could still do it, force his way into the manufacture room, consequences be damned. But... Law would rather avoid dying if he could help it. Bepo would be terribly sad after all, and Law had promised.

* * *

_"- don't worry, he wont kill me. I'm his brother. And hey, Law?" There's that smile, that stupid fucking smile. Cora's such an idiot. "I love you."_

_I love you too, Law doesn't say._

_I love you, Law says, and Lami smiles between her coughs, clutching that ragged stuffed rabbit and huddling in the blankets. Their father will find the right medicine soon, or their mother, she's always been the better chemist. You're gonna be fine, Law promises-_

_It was so dark. Law can't see anything, can't feel anything beyond the four cold walls and the dark dark dark. Cora's voice picks up."- let him go. Just let him be free, Doffy-"_

_"You know I cant do that, Cora." Doflamingo says and-_

_\- the sound of gunshots isn't startling, not anymore. The worst part isn't the shot, its the noise people make afterwards, the confusion in their expression as they slowly topple, blood spilling like water from a bucket. There are so many bodies in Flevance these days that they don't even bother getting rid of them, just piling them up and up and up-_

Law breaths out, gritting his teeth so hard the the force of it makes his teeth shriek. The sheets are glued to his skin, annealed by a thin layer of quickly cooling sweat, and Law wrenches them, rubbed his face roughly, already reaching for a cigarette. He lights it and takes a deep drag, relying on the nicotine to calm the thundering of his heart in his chest. He watches the smoke coil upwards and takes a deep breath.

Sixteen years since Flevance, fourteen since Cora, but the dreams are always the same. _Soon,_ Law vows. _Soon it'll be over._

* * *

In between beating his head against a brick wall trying to get around the manufacture room's security and scouring the forgotten archives of Punk Hazard, Law finds himself at a loss for what to do with his free time. He reads the latest medical journals when he can find them and drinks unwise amounts of coffee, pitch black and thick as tar, enough to keep his hands jittery for hours. 

It's doesn't help him sleep, but it fills the long hours when the night stretches around him, cold and endless, the voices of his memories grow too sharp to bear. He see's them when he closes his eyes, when he lies down to sleep. They're fractured, flashes of nothing. Cora's smile, the feel of Lami's hand in his own, the sharp gnaw of hunger in his belly- But they cut deep, waking him in a cold sweat, fingers clawing for his sword. Some days its just better not to try and sleep at all. He pours over his notes, redraws the plans of the facility again and again, and when his fingers begin to shake to much to keep up the neat line-work he switches to reading, waiting for the ticking of the clock to announce the sun has crept over the horizon. 

Other times - when Caesar is busy with his experiments and Monet is away and its such an ungodly hour of the morning that even his usual watchers are asleep in their beds - Law dons his coat and heads out into the blizzard. The wind howls like an animal, hissing angrily between the narrow alleys of what had once been a prosperous town, biting at every inch of exposed skin.

Out there, hidden in the swirling chaos of the blizzard and miles from the nearest living soul, Law stretches out his _Room_ as far as it will go, until it feels like Law is a rubber band pulled too tight - worn and thin and inches from breaking completely. His hands shake, his extremities going numb and cold as he focuses his energy outwards, pushing the border of the Room further and further, nothing meeting his senses but more ice and frozen concrete, barren and desolate.

When he releases the Room its like a slap to the face, energy rushing back into him like a flood. He gasps, shaking with the force of life rushing back into his limbs, and waits for his breathing to calm. Then he does it again. And again.

He creeps back into the research facility in the early hours of the morning, a thick dusting of snow gathered on the furred rim of his hat. The guards blink at him blearily, too tired to truly noticed who's coming in save for a cursory glance to check it's an ally. Law brushes the last of the snow off, shrugging Kikoku higher up on his shoulder and stuffs his hands in his pockets, clenching them faintly to try and ease the cold numbness. He walks pas the guards without a word and turns left, heading towards his room.

_"Psst!"_ A quiet voice calls. There's a pair of wide eyes watching him from around a nearby corner, and as Law watches the girl pokes her head out further, motioning him over with a quick wave of his hand. Law glances back down the hallway, thinks of walking on anyway, and then sighs. He heads over to the girl.

Law had seen the children around the facility before, being herded back and forth by groups of guards, but hadn't asked any questions. _See nothing, say nothing_ is the rule of Punk Hazard, and as curious as Law is he knows Caesar'll seize upon any chance to renegade on their deal. The less questions Law asks about Caesar's research the better. 

"You're a doctor right?" The girl asks, grabbing the edge of his coat as soon as he comes within reach and tugging him further around the corner. "I heard you let all the leggy-people walk again. That's so cool! What's it like being a doctor?"

"Difficult." Law replies dryly, carefully batting her hands away with the scabbard of his sword. "I kill far too many of my patients."

_"Woah."_ She laughs, grinning and showing off a gap-toothed smile. "Sound tough! I'm going to be a doctor too when I grow up, you know."

"I'm sure." Law says, tucking his hands back in his pockets before she can get any ideas. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Yeah!" She nods quickly, crowding closer. "How'd you become a doctor? Is there, like, a really _really really_ big book you have to read? Did you have to go to school? Hana says everyone has to go to school, but my brothers didn't, you know, and they're the smartest guys ever, so I think Hana's talking crap and-"

"Shizuyo! Where are you? Shizuyo! If you come back now you wont be in any trouble!" Someone calls, voice echoing down the hall. The girl slaps her hands over her mouth and sends Law a panicked glance. The footsteps come draw closer, the guards nearing, and Shizuyo bursts into action, shoving Law towards the wall and crowding behind him, squeezing herself between the wall and the bulky mass of his coat. Law catches himself on the wall, still reeling from the sudden shove, and opens his mouth to object - only for Shizuyo to send him a pleading look, clutching his coat and putting a finger to her lips.

Law considers turning her over anyway. He sighs and unbuttons his coat, letting the fabric fall over her, nothing visible save for a pair of small bare feet tucked behind his own. The guard rounds the corner and startles when he spots Law. All that's visible of his face through the glass visor of his mask are a pair of dark eyes, which widen briefly before relaxing, recognizing a friendly face.

"Dr Trafalgar, you wouldn't happened to have seen a young girl run past?" The guard asks.

"No." Law replies shortly, glowering at the guard.

"Ah... alright." The guard says, and hurries on before he can displease the Shichibukai further. Law watches him go, more curious than ever. The children are part of an experiment, that much is obvious, but all he's managed to learn from eavesdropping on the guards is that they were there for 'treatment'.

Shizuyo giggles, poking her head out from the canopy of Law's coat. Law steps aside, pulling his coat back up where it had begun to creep down one shoulder - pulled by tiny hands. "Man, that was so good! Thanks for not turning me over, yeah? You're a good dude, doctor!"

Law makes a thoughtful noise, turning back to Shizuyo. He may not be able to ask Caesar about his experiments, but perhaps the child will be more talkative. "You're hear for treatment right? What for?"

Shizuyo screws up her face, scowling mightily, and shrugs, kicking her bare feet against the floor. "We're sick. They brought us here to make us better, with medicine and stuff." She seems to brighten, cheerfulness returning all at once. "Once we can go home again I'm gonna be a doctor, the best doctor in the world!"

"So you've said." Law replies noncommittally. Shizuyo nods firmly, clapping her hands together decisively, and shoots him one last bright smile. "Alright, gotta run! I told Hana I'd bring her some pastries." She dashes off down the hall, bare feet slapping against the cold stone floors, pausing at the bend of the next corner to wave furiously at him before vanishing around the corner. "See ya later, doctor!"

Law stares after her for a long moment, gaze thoughtful, before turning away. Perhaps it's time he learned what Caesar's really been up to on Punk Hazard. 

* * *

Caesar keeps all his research notes in a thick notebook that never leaves his person. Any secondary documentation that might give Law any idea of what Caesar's research is goes directly through Monet, and she's too sharp for Law to risk snooping around her office. Oh there's the general experiments on refined bioweapons and chemical warfare formulas, but nothing that would involve juvenile test subjects. Whatever it is Caesar is doing with the kids, it's a more closely guarded secret than even his latest mustard gas formula. The guards are clueless, which appears to be a running trend with them, and Law can't ask them anything directly without rousing the Caesar's suspicion - so for now Law puts aside of the children's mysterious experiment and focuses on other matters.

The refined SAD is shipped out twice a month in huge tankers, taken directly from the refinery to a cargo ship waiting in the north harbor. Each one is jealously guarded, personally escorted every step of the way by Monet and a host of guards, and it takes _shambling_ one of his own eyes onto a wall, hidden between several icicles, to even get a peek at the heavy metal tank.

There's no need to speculate on where it goes - the emblem of the Donquixote pirates is displayed proudly on the sails of the ship, every member of the crew sporting the same grinning smile stamped into their skin. Somewhere on Dressrosa is a factory, and when Law is done here ( _if_ he can do it. _If_ he survives. It always comes down to _if if if_ , and Law's too much of a realist to pretend the odds are in his favor) that's where he has to go. 

The plan is simple. Doflamingo plies his trade on a network of favors and blackmail, and one of the biggest tools of his arsenal is his supply of artificial devil fruits, supplied to every pirate captain and power-hungry warlord in the New World. Kaidou the Beast is just one of his many clients, a tenuous alliance maintained only by the continuous supply of SMILE, fueling an army of artificial zoan-type fruit users that Kaidou has used to bring half the New World to it's knees. Kaidou is not know for his patience, nor his mercy, and if Law can cut off the SMILE supply Kaidou will take care of Doflamingo for him.

But to do that Law needs to get into the SAD manufacture room, and he's little closer to that now than he was when he first arrived.

Law pinches the bridge of his nose, holding in a pained noise as a headache make itself known, a growing pounding in the base of his skull, and pours over the blue-prints once more. They're scattered over several pieces of paper, all drawn in his own clumsy hand, notes scribbled and crossed out again as Law found more hidden security mechanisms and parsed out the decoys. The guards on patrol pass by the door an average of every 17.3 minutes, and the doorway is in sight for at least another 2.5 minutes of walking down the hall in either direction. Leaving Law with roughly 12 minutes to disable the security and slip in without being noticed.

He's thought about taking down the security system in stages, but any tinkering would be noticed by the guards, and then the ball is in Caesar's court - so Law has to do it all at once or not at all. In that time he has to disable three cameras, cut through the wires supplying the current electrifying the door, then cut open the doors, pass through, and put them up again. All the while hoping the guards don't happen to walk slightly faster than usual.

Law sighs, taking another deep gulp of his coffee, and gets back to work. The southern camera on the corner first, when it's looking down the other hall, then he'll be in range to _shambles_ the two other cameras. So long as he finishes with the camera's within 3 minutes then he should be okay, next he just has to worry about-

"Dr Trafalgar!" Someone shouts, banging urgently on the door. Law scowls furiously and folds the blueprints back up, slipping them into his notebook and tucking it away safely in the inner pocket of his coat. "Caesar demands your presence!"

Law grabs his sword, yanking the door open even. The guard pauses, hand suspended in the air, caught in the act of hammering on the door. He scrambles aside, pointing down the hall. "There's an intruder, out by the lake. Caesar said you should take care of it."

"And the reason the centaurs aren't doing it?" Law glowers, leaning against the door, Kikoku braced against his shoulder.

"They, er- Well, they were. The intruder is too strong - half the centaurs have already been taken out." The guard shifts from foot to foot, not daring to meet Law's eyes. "Caesar said to, _um_ , remind you of your arrangement?"

Law scowled. Fucking Caesar. "Tell your boss I haven't forgotten. I'll do it."

* * *

Its a fucking samurai.

Law has seen many strange things. The Grand Line is known for its miracles and mysteries, and the New World is no different. Nobody gets this far without learning to expect the unexpected, but in this case Law finds himself well and truly baffled. A private raid he could expect, maybe an adventurer or two straying where they shouldn't, hell, even a sudden rebellion of the islands local fauna, suddenly turned sentient - it wouldn't be the first time. But a _samurai?_

Its unheard of for the swordsmen of Wano to wander beyond their homeland, and even stranger for the fact that he's turned up on Punk Hazard - an island Law knows for a fact isn't registered on any log-pose. What few maps show it at all are locked away in Marine bases, confidential even almost fives years after Doctor Vegapunk left the island in favor of his new laboratories. Which begs the question, how the fuck did the samurai get here?

The samurai lets out a loud cry, unleashing a furious storm of strikes. Law throws himself backwards, bringing up Kikoku just in time to block the katana before it can meet his neck. The centaurs had fallen back when he'd arrived, dragging their wounded with them, but many still lie where they'd fallen, lives cut short by a single savage swipe of the samurai's sword.

Law catches another blow on his sword, metal shrieking and throwing up sparks, and darts forward, letting the swordsman score a cut on his upper arm in exchange for getting close enough to lay a hand against his side. " _Counter-shock._ " He murmurs, ducking under the man's instinctive swipe.

Lightening surges across the samurai's torso and he cries out, muscles clenching involuntarily as the electrical impulses sink beneath his skin. Law's already moving, following it up with a series of quick, clean slashes that go through the samurai's body like a hot knife through butter. He tumbles apart, pieces falling to a dismembered pile in the snow, legs still kicking and arms waving, sword thrashing uselessly in the snow.

"Witchcraft! Unhand me at once!" The samurai snarls, still struggling - never mind that his even his head is in pieces, mouth and eyes scattered across the ground. Law smirks, viciously satisfied, his cheek still aching sharply from where the samurai had gotten a surprise hit on him, the mark now threatening to bruise, and turns away.

"Pick up the pieces and bring him back to base. Caesar will deal with him" He calls over his shoulder, tugging his coat tighter around him. The other side of the lake is within sight - the volcano erupting in a towering shroud of lava and ash, the ground hazy with burning fires - but the blizzard rages on as intensely as ever, unaffected by the hell just across the water.

* * *

Caesar is in a snit when Law returns, pacing around and snapping furiously at Monet. She bears it all with grace, nodding along agreeably even as Caesar winds himself up into a frothing rage. "Of course, Master, I'll send some patrols out out once. Yes, Master, he's already in custody. No, Master, I don't think its an organized attack - perhaps he simply got lost? In case he's already been defeated."

That seems to reassure Caesar, because he throws back his head and laughs. "What a fool! Did he think he could just walk in here and steal my research? Well, we'll see what he's after, wont we?"

For his part, Law watches Caesar's performance with quiet scorn, making short work of another cup of coffee. Maybe if he drinks enough caffeine the buzzing will blot out the deep thrum of the headache pounding behind his temples. Unlikely, but it's worth a shot. 

There's a tentative knock on the door. A guard pokes their head in, freezing when he finds Law, Monet and Caesar all watching him. "Boss- Um. The Marines are here?"

_"What?"_ Caesar snaps, lurching to his feet, leaving a good portion of his body mass drifting behind him as gas in his agitation. Law watches him idly. What he wouldn't give to examine his internal structure when he's semi-corporeal like that. "What do you mean _the Marines are here?!_ "

The guard stutters helplessly as Caesar descends on him, furiously demanding answers, his face growing more contorted with anger with every clueless shake of the guard's head. Caesar spins around, mouth open to snarl, then pauses and remembers who he's talking to, instead plastering a sickly sweet look on his face. "Doctor, you wouldn't mind dealing with this, would you?"

Law still has half a cup of coffee left. He eyes it reluctantly, then sighs and downs it in one go, unslinging his Kikoku from his shoulder. Caesar will betray him in the end, of that Law has no doubt, but for now Law is reliant on his good graces and that means playing nice. "No problem." 

He turns, resisting the urge to scrub a hand across his face, his headache worse than ever. Law has no idea why the Marines are here, nor what he'll say to them to make them go away, but he supposes he'll have to make do.

* * *

The buzzer on the front door rings as he approaches. Law doesn't even know why a top secret research facility even has a door bell, but it does, and now it rings persistently. The day began strange and has been only getting stranger - a samurai from Wano and now an armed force invading the island, only to stop and ring the doorbell. Its... odd.

Law opens the door, face set into a grim smile, and resists the urge to curse when he sees who's waiting at the door. This is no random frigate that's gotten lost, not even a ship of rogue marines poking their noses into things better left alone. Vice-Admiral Smoker glowers back at him, chewing on the end of his cigar, a whole hoard of men standing at his back and still more watching from the deck of their warship.

"Well." Law says, leaning against the frosted metal of the massive doorframe. What a fucking shitshow. "What's your business, Smoker?"

Murmurs break out among Smoker's men at the sight of him, but Smoke himself is unerringly silent, his glower only growing more intense. It's no secret what Smoker thinks of the Shichibukai. No doubt if he could Smoker would have him hanging from a noose before Law could get a single word in. Smoker steps forward, seastone jitte in hand, resting at the ready against his shoulder. 

"This island is off limits to even government officials, Trafalgar." He says, gritting it out around his cigar.

"That applies to you as well." Law replies dryly, sweeping an eye over Smoker's gathered forces pointedly. "Someone might get the wrong idea, seeing you show up like this."

"We received a distress signal originating from this island." Smoker says. His captain steps forward, a black denden-mushi in her hand. It crackles to life, eyes half-lidded as it plays the recorded message. _"-elp HELP! Everyone's being cut down by a-"_ Its crackles, connection dropping. It's patchy, interspersed with static. _"- Boss? Boss? Is that you? Boss-"_

Smoker watches his reaction grimly, and Law keeps his face carefully blank. Those fucking idiots. What sort of fool sends out an SOS from a top secret research facility? Another voice cuts in all of a sudden, cheerful and loud. _"-'m Luffy! I'm gonna be the pirate king! Wait, what are you saying? You're talking too fast!"_

_"-NYONE PLEASE SAVE- PLEASE SAVE US WE'RE AT PUNK HAZARD. WE'RE AT-"_ There's a wet squelch, and a muffled banging at as the denden-mushi's dropped, the screams falling silent.

For a moment everything is silent, Smoker's men watching Law watching Smoker. This is going to end in a fight, Law can see it in Smoker's eyes. Law shrugs, sending Smoker an indifferent look. "So?"

The captain glares at him poisonously. " _So?_ All marine ships are obligated to respond to distress signals, and a Vice-Admiral has the right to suppress standard no-pass orders if they have plausible reason to suspect a known fugitive is hiding in such a location."

"You fought beside Straw Hat at Sabaody two years ago, and helped him escape at Marineford when Akainu was in pursuit." Smoker growls, smoke escaping between his teeth. "Are you helping him now?

Law narrows his eyes. He doesn't know what game Smoker thinks he's playing, but Law's not buying it. "What do you really want? Forging emergency signals is a specialty of the Marines. I wouldn't put it past you to falsify a signal in order to gain access to Punk Hazard."

"This isn't a trap." Smoker snaps impatiently. "I couldn't give two shits what you're up to here. If Straw Hat is there, then I'm searching the damn island. Now step aside."

"Hmm... No." Law says, tone almost bored. "This is my...." Fuck it, why not. "Vacation home. I'm on holiday. I'm afraid you're simply not welcome."

"And," Law continues sharply. "If it's my presence here you object to, the island was condemned because of the gas incident, _abandoned_ , so what does it matter? I'm the only one here. And if Straw Hat does show up-" _As if,_ no one has seen hide nor hair of Straw Hat or his crew for two years. "- I'll hunt him down myself. Now, if that's all..?"

Smoker grinds his teeth, not giving an inch, and Law just smiles back blandly, making no effort to mask his insincerity. The stare at each other, neither willing to look away, the Marines waiting in tense silence to see who'll act first. A _Room_ itches beneath his skin, ready and waiting to be unleashed. This is going to be a good fight, Law can already tell, his fingers clenching around his sword in anticipation.

Then-

There's the crash of slamming doors from deeper in the facility, followed by the cacophony of a dozen different voices shouting all at once. Law turns to find a fucking stampede approaching him from deeper within the facility, and he finds himself standing in stunned silence as a furry creature kicks open the heavy metal doors of the facility, sending them flying open as a whole crowd of super-sized children come pouring out the door, led by a woman in a bikini-bra, a man in a fine suit, and a fucking cyborg.

There's a moment of breathless surprise as Law and the Marines just stare. The strangers are still shouting, yelling to each other and herding the stampede of sprinting children through the doors, and it takes them a second to notice their audience. They skid to a halt, throwing up flurries of snow, the whole scene devolving into total chaos as everyone spots each other and shouts, demanding answer and yelling warning all at once.

"Shit it's Smoker-" The suited man shouts, backpedaling.

"Hey, you're that guy from Sabaody-" The - Raccoon? Bear? _What the fuck even_ \- yells, gawking at Law.

"- and the lovely lady!"

"- Fiend! Release the children at once! What have you done to them?!"

"Everybody back inside!" Bikini-bra snaps, turning back to the children. "We can't get out this way-"

"Why? Aren't the marines the good guys?!"

"We're pirates, of course they're the bad guys!" She replies, already hurrying back through the door. As quickly as they'd come the whole group turns, scrambling back through the door. "- there must be a backdoor! Quick!"

Smoker advances, jitte clinking together, his face furious. " _Alone,_ are you? The Straw Hats are here!"

"It... seems so." Law replies dumbly, still trying to make sense of it.

"After them! Capture the Straw Hats!" The captain cries, and the Marine's don't waste a moment, charging towards the doors after the Straw Hats.

_"Fuck."_ Law snaps, drawing Kikoku in one smooth movement and letting the Room burst from his skin. It expands from a single point in his chest, the blue edge of the field disappearing into the distance as the _Room_ envelopes the battlefield, until even the warship its within its circumference. Smoker is like a dog with a bone - now that he's seen Straw Hat he wont let it go for anything, and if he's given the chance to leave Punk Hazard he'll report everything. Doflamingo and the World Government will learn Law's been sniffing about.

"None of you are going to leave this island." Law says coldly, intercepting Smoker. It's further than he's ever pushed it in active combat, but he doesn't have time to hesitate, forcing it ever wider. Law grits his teeth, breathing through the sudden wave of exhaustion, and twitches a finger upwards. He needs to end this quickly. _"Tact."_

The Marines cry out as the warship shudders, the men aboard clinging to the rails as the ship lurches and breaks from the river, rising into the sky. He can feel every man aboard like an ant crawling over his skin, can feel their panicked heartbeats as he drags them even higher. He strains beneath the weight of the warship, his fingers trembling faintly, but it holds, the warship hanging suspended in the air above them. 

The Straw Hat's are reaching the edge of his Room, seconds from escaping his reach completely, and Law spares a moment to cause some trouble, twisting his hand with a whisper of _"Shambles._ " Energy swirls at the edge of his awareness, a sign the transplant had worked, and then the Straw Hats are gone, vanishing beyond the borders of the _Room._

"Stay back!" Smoker growls, dragging the nearest marine back before they can try charge him. "You'll only end up dissembled! Trafalgar! Attacking marines is a direct breach of your vow as a Shichibukai! If you continue your title will be revoked and your bounty reinstated!"

"Alright." Law says, and cuts the warship into pieces with three sweeping arcs of his sword. He releases it, the strain of it vanishing, and lets the pieces hurtle down upon the gathered marines, shifting his focus to a different task. The Marine's denden-mushi clatter to the ground in a pile behind him, stolen from pockets and comms rooms, every line of communication cut off. "I'm afraid you can't be allowed to report this." He says, meeting Smoker's furious gaze and raising Kikoku. 

Then its Smoker's turn to attack. His limbs dissolve into smoke, extending towards Law at startling speed, already swinging his seastone jitte. Law jumps back, retaliating with a vicious cut that passes right through Smoker's insubstantial form. Harmless against Smoker, but it's more than effective against his men. Behind him three of his men go down with surprised cries, severed neatly at the waist.

"Get out of the circle!" Smoker snarls at the crowd of circling Marines, twisting and throwing himself at Law in a furious series of blows. "Everything in the sphere is his operating room!"

He's men shuffle backwards reluctantly, unwilling to leave Smoker to fight alone, but a few are brave or foolhardy enough to remain. The captain charges forward, making a lunge for Law. Smoker twists, snarling and reaching for her, but its too late. "Tashigi no! Your haki isn't strong enough-"

Law cuts her down in one clean movement, watching on indifferently as she flounders in the snow. She goes down with a cry, clawing at the snow, and glares up at him, hand still clenched around her sword. There's fury in her face, fury and desperation. He knows that look, has worn it far too many times, and it strikes a chord in Law that leaves him cold with anger, fingers tightening around Kikoku's hilt.

"If you're going to cut me then kill me, Trafalgar!" She snarls. "Fight me honorably!"

"The weak can't chose the manner of their death." Law says, voice frigid and sharp. Honor? What a joke. There is no such thing as honor, no such thing as glory or justice. Just the dead and those about to die, too stupid to realize their time has come and too weak to prevent it. She is both, and nothing, certainly not honor, is going to save her now. 

Her face crumbles and for a second Law thinks she might cry. Instead her faces screws up with a furious anger and she throws herself forward, swinging her sword wildly at his legs. Law blocks it without thought, the top half of the blade going clattering to the ground several feet away as Kikoku shatters it, leaving her clutching uselessly at the hilt of her sword.

"You won't reach me with that sword." Law says cruelly and raises Kikoku. One more cut should silence her chattering tongue. There's a shout from behind him, her men lunging forward, raising their pistols in her defense, but Law brushes away their bullets without even looking up. Kikoku sings as it falls, sharp enough to cut the air itself. It'll be a quick death, a mercy few receive in this world. 

The captain flinches, crying out and scrabbling uselessly at her broken sword, only for the Kikoku to shriek to a stop an inches above her head as Smoker's jitte intercepts the blow. Fingers close around Law's neck, Smoker appearing behind him in a roiling cloud of smoke. He goes flying backwards, Smoker's jitte coming right at his face. Law's eyes widen and-

The jitte crashes through a shattered piece of the hull, Law collapsing into the snow several maters away, carried to safety by a hasty _shambles_. He coughs, gasping for air, the imprint of Smoker's fingers still burned into his skin. Smoker doesn't give him time to recover, lunging at Law. Law ducks out of the way, knocking the blow away with his sword, the force of it pushing him back another step. A dozen reaching hands materialize from Smoker's chest, reaching out, and Law throws himself back, clenching his fist.

The warship groans above them, lurching downward. It hits the ground with the force of an earthquake, the whole world shaking, disappearing into a storm of dust and splintering wood, metal shrieking as the debris shatter against the frozen ground. He loses Smoker amongst the swirling dust. Law twist, eyes narrowed, Kikoku firmly clutched in hand. Then, _there!_ A torrent of smoke winding out of the wreckage. Law snarls, making a swift gesture, and the splintered remains of the mast spin from the carcass of the ship, crashing through the column of smoke and pinning Smoker in place.

Law takes a deep breath, rolling his shoulder minutely, trying to breath through the numbness creeping into his limbs. Throwing the warship left him feeling like he'd run a marathon around the island, and every second he holds the _Room_ so large wears down on him, bleeding energy worse than a cut to a major artery.

The beam barely slows Smoker down. Two twisting columns of smoke erupt around the shattered mask, resolving themselves into a pair of booted feet just as Law swings, blocking them flatly. "Fuck!" Law snarls, turning, but not in time to block the next blow, the hit catching him across the forearm, the force of it threatening to crack bone, leaving his whole arm throbbing with the impact. He grits his teeth, blocks two more blows, then throws himself backwards and pulls a boulder up from deep in the snow with a jerk of his hand, the effort of it hitting him like a kick to the chest.

Smoker breaks through it with a punishing strike of his jitte, but Law has already done what he needed to. His sword clatters to the ground behind him, fingers curled in preparation. Smoker has overreached, his arm extended, and Law darts forward, palm impacting with Smoker's chest. _"Mes."_

Smoker gasps, collapsing to one knee, and Law scoops his heart up from the snow even as Smoker's snarls a curse, hands rise to his chest, fingers finding the edge of the neat, square hole right where his heart should be. The dark cube beats rapidly in his hand, panic speeding Smoker's heartrate, and Law makes an approving noise, turning it over in his hand. Smoker's heart is strong and healthy, in surprisingly good condition considering his cigar habit. 

Law slips the heart into this pocket, inches from the pulsing cube of Monet's own heart. He leaves Smoker there, turning his gaze over the battlefield, and tries not to sway with each step he takes, glad that Smoker can no longer see him. It's one thing to overextend himself with a Room, it's another thing entirely to let people realize it. 

There's a rumble in the distance and Law sighs, resisting the urge to just turn and go back to the laboratory. Lord, what next? The Marines are making a fuss on the other side of the warship, shouting and waving their guns, and Law squints past them. That's... Brownbeard? Yes, Law would recognize that form anywhere. He's charging towards them, running as if the very devil himself is on his tail. There's something on his shoulder-

"For fucks sake." Law says, even as Straw Hat grins, waving manically. Brownbeard tries to shake him off, but Straw Hat just holds on tighter, whooping and hollering. 

"Dr Trafalgar!" Brownbeard cries, still barreling towards him. "Help me!"

"Torao!" Straw Hat shouts, slingshoting himself off Brownbeards back. He lands with crash, throwing up a flurry of now, and rounds on Law, a grin splitting his far ear to ear. For a moment Law is sure that he's going to lunge at him, sweep him up in a hug like he did the last time Law was subjected to his presence, but he's saved at the last second when the rest of Straw Hat's crew jumps down from Brownbeard's back, calling something to their captain. 

Straw Hat turns, gesturing enthusiastically and speaking a mile a minute. Law doesn't hear what the swordsman says, but Straw Hat's reply is nowhere near as quiet, laughing and slapping his man on the shoulder and bounding over to Law. "Nah, don't worry about it! He's a good guy. He saved my life once."

"On a whim." Law replies coldly, and tries not to regret the fact. He supposes he should be grateful that its Straw Hat of all people who's turned up. They parted on friendly terms, and that gives Law some leeway to work with - if things go his way he might even be able to turn that debt Straw Hat owes him into something useful. Law's fingers are trembling with the effort it take to hold up his sword, and he doubts he could produce a _Room_ larger than a few meters if he tried, but he plasters on a cocky smirk and shoves his hands in his pockets. "There's no need to feel indebted."

Straw Hat flaps his hand dismissively, still smiling. He appears to have picked up an extra set of hind limbs somewhere, the legs wearing a disturbingly familiar kimono. Law doesn't even want to ask. "Don't sweat the small stuff!" Straw Hat grins. "Hey, what are you doing here? There's a bunch of really weird stuff going on on this island."

"It's complicated." Law says, giving Straw Hat a sharp look when it looks when he's going to press, but Straw Hat just laughs, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Honestly, Law doesn't know if he should warm Straw off, tell him to leave now and cut his losses, or just leave them to it. Smoker and Straw Hat are foreign elements and their presence complicates the situation - useful, maybe, but just as easily they could throw Law's carefully laid plans into disarray. He needs time to weigh the options, calculate the risks and readjust his plans. 

In the end the Marines make the decision for him. They burst onto the scene, guns firing, and the pirates scatter. The pitiful captain has pulled herself back together, both literally and metaphorically, and she leads her men in the charge. She lets out a startled cry when she spots Smoker collapsed on the ground, an hole punched through the center of his chest, and rounds on Law with a noise of wounded fury, her men already lining up to take potshots at the Straw Hats, who yelp and dive behind cover. Law... doesn't have the energy to deal with this. He flexes his fingers, swapping her consciousness with Smoker's, and beats a hasty retreat before she can collect herself. 

Black spots dance around his vision, that last pitiful _shambles_ enough to push him right to the brink of exhaustion, and Law grimaces, darting back towards the laboratory doors even as the rest of the Marines round, turning their guns in his direction. The Straw Hats are making their retreat, clambering back onto Brownbeard's back, but Straw Hat hesitates, turning towards Law. "Wait! Torao! I wanted to ask you something!"

Law makes a noise of irritation, but extends just enough of his power to carry a message over the clamor of the shouting Marines. "I'll meet you around the other side of the mountain, at the back of the storage facility. You'll find what you're looking for there." There, that should give him enough time to make up his mind as to what to do with Straw Hat, and worst comes to worst he can just set Caesar on him. 

The last he see's of Straw Hat is a massive figure disappearing off into the snow, batting away bullets by the dozen and heading in the exact opposite direction of where Law had told them to go. Law sighs deeply, rubs his hands roughly over his face, and goes to find a cup of coffee.

* * *

"What the hell did you do?" Caesar yells when he spots Law. "I told you to take care of it!"

"You don't think to tell me that a Vice-Admiral and a fucking _warship_ were waiting outside?" Law replies acerbically, shooting Caesar a dark look as he makes a beeline for the coffee machine. His head pounds like a drum, an awful throbbing pain that's half migraine-half stress headache. There's little he wants to do less right now than report to Caesar, but that's just fucking typical isn't it? 

Law leans against the bench, keeping his hands in his pockets so Caesar and Monet can't see them shake, and downs the first cup of coffee as soon at its brewed, still scalding hot and gritty. It burns on the way down, but fuck if Law doesn't need it. Law turns to Caesar, glare vicious. "When were you planning on mentioning the Straw Hats were running around the island?"

"What does it matter!? There are Marines running all around the island! And the Straw Hat's have taken the children too!" Caesar wails, pacing back and forth furiously. Law makes an irritated noise, making his way over to the couch and slouching into the chair. It takes a painfully amount of effort to keep his movements languid relaxed, not letting on to just how exhausted he truly is. He wouldn't put it past Caesar to try something if he get's even the faintest whiff of blood in the water. 

"Their ship is disabled and they don't have their denden-mushi." Law says sharply. "They're trapped. You can take care of them at your leisure. And-" He reaches into his coat, fingers hesitating just above Smoker's heart, and at the last second he pulls out Monet's instead. Smoker's heart is a rare opportunity, one Law is loath to pass up. 

"- I have Smoker's heart." Law says, tossing the dark cube to Caesar.

Caesar holds Monet's heart aloft with childish glee, and his grin positively malicious. "A marine G5 Vice-Admiral's heart! Good work, Trafalgar. Good work."

Law makes a low noise, irritated, but takes another sip of his coffee, letting it go just this once. 

"We've already gotten permission to executive the trespassers. I've sent soldiers out to deal with the Marines, and as for the Straw Hats?" Caesar makes a dismissive noise. "The Eighty Cool Brothers will deal with them. And even if they fail, the children will make their own way back, won't they Monet?"

"Certainly Master." Monet smiles, pushing up her glasses with the tip of her claws. "They do so love the candy."

* * *

An hour later the first transmission comes in. _"Section 16 of Zone F, at the bottom of the cliff. Three bodies to collect: Pirate Hunter Zoro, Thieving Cat Nami, and the Soul King Brook."_

Caesar laughs, his cloudy form quivering gleefully where he sits sprawled on the couch. "Did you hear? They died straight away!"

Law doesn't look up, tracing the tattoos on his knuckles one letter at a time. He makes a dismissive noise and leans back in his chair. He's met the Straw Hats only twice, hasn't spoken more than two words to most of them. By all rights he shouldn't give a shit whether the lived or died. Still, he'd pegged them as stronger than this. To hear otherwise is... disappointing. 

Monet makes a thoughtful noise, flipping the page of her newspaper and pausing on the article announcing the current bounties. "They're not what I expected. The Straw Hat's are from the Worst Generation, said to be as dangerous as Blackbeard. I expected them to be stronger than this... right Trafalgar?"

She cocks her head, her smile not reaching her eyes. "You were involved with them two years ago, weren't you?"

_What?"_ Caesar snarls, face twisting with inhuman rage, and in an instant he's reached within his robes and has a pistol trained on Law, aimed levelly at his head. So much for the friendly act. "Did you call them here?!" Caesar demands, gaseous form wavering as he bristles. "Who did you tell about this?"

This could devolve into a full blown fight all too easily, and while Law would gladly see both Caesar and Monet cold and still, six feet under, now is not the time. Caesar by himself is a tough opponent, and with Monet thrown in the odds are stacked against him. No, better to diffuse the situation, tackle them one by one in more favorable circumstances. 

"I didn't even know they were on the island." Law replies dryly, leaning back in his chair, to all appearances lax and carefree, though his fingers never stray from Kikoku's hilt. "If I did I would have told you you couldn't just lock them in a room. Its because of you they're free. Because of you I couldn't finish off the Marines. Don't forget - if people learn about this place it'd be an issue for me as well." Law says sharply. 

For a single instant Caesar's face twists with rage at the slight, eyes dark and angry, but then the expression vanishes, hidden beneath a jolly smile that would sent children running crying to their mothers. He pointed the gun up, freeing Law from the cross-hairs, and shrugs almost nonchalantly. "Alright, alright, I believe you." Caesar says, shoving the gun back in his pocket. He sends one last narrowed look at Law, still smiling all the while. "Now, I've got to go organize a... experiment. Do excuse me."

Law's pushing it, he knows he is, but something Caesar had said earlier has stuck with him, and he wants- No, needs, to know. "Earlier you said the kids would come back by themselves."

"Oh?" Caesar chuckle. "That's simple. Everyday we give them candy laced with a stimulant, a basic compound meant to simulate addiction. In a couple of hours they'll go into withdrawal and then-" He grins. A twisted, cruel thing that shows far too many teeth. "Well, we won't have any problems finding them, that's for sure. They'll come running back into our arms."

There's a long moment when Law can't hear anything over the buzzing in his ears, fingers clenched so tightly around Kikoku that the bone creak and groan. There's a bitter taste at the back of his throat, all too fucking familiar. It's rage, white-hot and burning in his chest, a disgust so thick it feels like he's going to choke on it. It would be so easy to slit Caesar, just one swipe of Kikoku, clavicle to naval. No Ope-Ope fruit, just blood and viscera and all the pain that accompanies it, steaming, bloody meat spilling onto the ground-

"Ah." Law says calmly "Alright."

Caesar's smile goes bitter, and he makes an annoyed noise, irritated at the lack of reaction. He turns on his heel and strides from the room, still fuming. Law watches Caesar leave, drinks the last of his coffee, and excuses himself to Monet before rising to his feet and leaving. Then he goes and finds the Straw Hats.

* * *

_"Counter-shock."_

The last Eight Cool Brother collapses into the snow in a charred heap, still twitching, and Law carefully sheaths his sword, enjoying the slow slide of the blade as he guides it back into its sheath.

"Torao!" Straw Hat grin, snapping the chains binding his crewmates with a twist of his fingers. Another of his men, the... raccoon? small bear?, lies unconscious in the snow a few feet away, but beyond giving it a cursory glance to check it's okay Straw Hat seems content to leave it there. "Thanks for saving Nami!"

Law inclines his head. The man himself doesn't look very happy at being saved, still scowling up at Law and rubbing his wrists, and it's only when Law takes a second look that he recognize the tell-tale flutter of energy marking the aftereffects of a heart transplant. Ah. Oh well. Just one more piece of leverage if it comes to negotiating a deal. Law slings Kikoku against his shoulder and sit on an exposed boulder, bracing his elbows on his knees and knitting his fingers together in front of him thoughtfully. "I have a proposition for you." He says, looking at Straw Hat.

Straw Hat tilts his head, staring at Law, and makes a curious noise. "Yeah?"

"There are only two ways to survive in this world. Bow to one of the Four Emperors and live under their wing... Or stand and challenge them." Law hums thoughtfully. If he wants to destroy the refinery and tear down everything Caesar has built, he'll need help, and Straw Hat is the best chance he's going to get. Now, what he just needed to convince Straw Hat likewise. "You aren't the type of man to work under someone, I can tell." He says, leaning forward with an intent look. 

"Well, yeah. I'm the captain." Straw Hat says, nodding decisively.

Law smirks. Hook, line, and sinker. Even with someone like Straw Hat, a little flattery can go a long way. "Then form an alliance with me. Alone, an Emperor would crush you, but together... I have a plan to take down one of the Four Emperors." Law says finally, laying his cards on the table. 

"Is that all?" Straw Hat asks, giving him a baffled look, as if what Law had just suggested didn't border on the realm of insanity. Law bites back a noise of disbelief, but Straw Hat just keeps talking. "I'm going to defeat them all, starting with Shanks." Straw Hat says cheerfully. 

"Take this seriously." Law snaps, nails digging into the back of his hand in his agitation. Then calms himself, taking a breath and leaning back, untangling his hands and forcing him to take a step back from the situation. He needs to get Straw Hat on his side, and that meant putting up with some... eccentricity. He forces his voice calmer, and continues, giving Straw Hat a flat look. "You're underestimating them. Each of the Four Emperors is a powerhouse in their own right, with dozens of islands under their control. You might as well try take down a whole nation. Even together, facing Kaidou alone, I estimate our chances are under 30%."

Straw Hat hums, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Okay. That makes sense." He looks up at Law, face open and trusting. "So what do we do?"

Law releases a breath, some of the tension in his shoulders loosening. The hard part is over. He straightens, giving Straw Hat ominous smile. "We arrange things to our benefit. Caesar supplies Kaidou with SMILE through an intermediary party. If we can destroy his operation here and Caesar goes missing... the chaos will provide the perfect opportunity to strike at Kaidou. What I need you to do is create a distraction and kidnap Caesar. I'll take care of the rest."

"Okay sure! Sounds like fun!" Straw Hat says cheerfully, grin returning in full force, and Law does his best not to roll his eyes. The poor idiot has no idea what he's getting himself into, targeting Kaidou of all people. If all goes to plan Kaidou will never even realize they were involved. If not... Well, not even God himself will be able to save them then. 

If Law were a kinder person perhaps he would feel guilty this, using Straw Hat his way, but he's not, so he just straightens and nods. "Get your people. We need to go over the plan."


	3. stack the deck

The rest of the Straw Hats take to the proposal with slightly less enthusiasm.

"We're not strong enough to fight one of the Emperors!" The man in the suit snaps, sending Straw Hat an exasperated look even as he leans down to fuss over the tiny raccoon. It's still bleeding slightly from the mouth, and Law can just make out a massive bruise forming on its cheek. It's hard to tell - Law hasn't studied much zoology, save what he needs to know to ensure he can treat Bepo, and all the fur is throwing off his diagnosis.

"I won't question your decision." Nico Robin says to Straw Hat, finger tapping thoughtfully at her chin. "But pirate alliances often end in betrayal. Are you sure you trust him?"

"Yeah!" Another crew-member cries, scowling at Law from under the floppy brim of his wide hat. He bristles when Law looks his way, arms folded tightly over his chest. "You saw what he did to the others! He's super suspicious!"

Straw Hat frowns. Law observes it all carefully, balancing the odds of Straw Hat backing out of the alliance. He hadn't expected Straw Hat's crew to have such a vehement reaction to the idea, or rather he hadn't expected them to question their captain's decision so openly. Most pirate crews wouldn't tolerate this level of insubordination. Law makes a careful note of their expressions, gauging resistance. With every objection the scales tip against him, and Law can't argue against it without risking turning them all against him even more. So he waits, still and silent, as the Straw Hat's debate his fate like another crew might debate what to have for lunch.

The worst part is, Nico Robin has a point. If things turn sour Law has no qualms about throwing Straw Hat into the fire if it means being able to further his own objectives. There is no honor among pirates, and only a fool would expect someone with Law's reputation to uphold an alliance. 

"Hey, Torao." Straw Hat say finally, turning to Law with an unusually serious expression, a crinkle in his brow. "Are you going to betray me?"

"No." Law replies blankly, mostly on instinct. 

"See? What's the problem?" Straw Hat says, turning back to his crew with a grin even as Law stares at him, still reeling. Did he really just fucking _ask him?_ "And anyway," Straw Hat continues. "Isn't it cool having a pirate alliance!? Torao is a cool guy, but even if he isn't it'll be fine. I've got you guys all watching out for me, yeah? We've all been training for two years. I believe in you guys."

Law watches with disbelief as Straw Hat's crew fold like wet paper, all their (entirely reasonable, logical, _sane_ ) complaints vanishing in the face of a single compliment. "You can count on us!" One cried, slapping his chest proudly, while another rubbed the back of their head, smiling sheepishly, each and everyone of them looking inordinately pleased at the compliment. A second ago they'd looked ready to throw him in an active volcano (and wasn't it handy that there were three separate ones on Punk Hazard alone) and now they fawn and blush, and simpered like maidens at their debut.

It takes only a token effort to return the misplaced Straw Hats to their proper bodies, and by the end of it some of them are even smiling. Law wonders what it must be like to be so astoundingly naïve. None of them seem to realize how truly gargantuan the task they'd just agreed to set out on was, nor that the chance of success is practically infinitesimal. Law watches them grimly, hoping he hasn't made the wrong choice. The Straw Hats are a gamble, one that has a vanishingly small chance of actually working out - they're loose canons at the best of times, and adding them to the plan at such a late stage has ever chance of back firing.

Well, Law supposes, needs must. 

The Straw Hats bustle around, the cyborg letting out a low groan and rolling his shoulders as he's returned to his rightful body, and the woman, Nami, wastes no time in checking on the children, her expression grim and concerned as she rests her hand on a feverish forehead. The Straw Hats had bundled them up in enormous furry coats and given them a sedative, but even then Law can see the pallor of their complexion and the sheen of chilled sweat on their faces. The withdrawals have started, and if Caesar is to be believed the effect will be sudden, severe, and violent. Law doubts they'll survive more than a day or two before the withdrawal sends them into shock, resulting in catastrophic organ failure. 

A familiar face catches his eye. Shizuyo lies amongst the rest of the children, her face lax and exhausted, absent the cheerful fierceness of when he'd last seen her. _I'm gonna be a doctor! The world's best!_ Law's teeth clench, a low coil of hatred curdling in his stomach. He doesn't care, not really, isn't some bleeding heart outraged at the treatment of the poor dear children, but this, _Caesar_ , the stimulants, leaves him angry. Caesar's a rabid dog, one that's been given far too long a leash, and now it's time for him to be put down. Not that that will help. Law's seen enough dying kids to know these ones were too far gone. Even if he does kill Caesar it's too late, the kids are already hooked. 

Law's fingers clench around Kikoku and he turns away, only to find Straw Hat staring at him. 

"Can you save them?" He asks, expression so fucking earnest, brow scrunched up in intense contemplation as he looks over the children. 

"You should just leave them." Law says flatly, the sheer intensity of Straw Hat's gaze leaving him a little unnerved. Straw Hat is strange like that, the vast majority of the time he's a buffoon, barely worth the time it takes to speak two words to him, but there are moments in which is entire demeanor seems to shift, going still and serious. When he looks at you, _really_ looks at you, it feels like he can see right to the heart of you. 

"They're addicted to Caesar's drugs, and even if they weren't..." Law breaths out, not quite a sigh but close. Every day he stays on this island gives him another reason to slit Caesar's sorry throat. "I doubt a single one of them will live past five years. Caesar's been experimenting with giantification, but his formula is flawed. If their organs haven't already started failing they will soon." Law shoots Straw Hat a curious look, expression flat. "You really want to save them? You don't even know them."

"I won't leave them." Nami snaps, glaring up at Law. Her hands are clenched, white knuckled, but when she turns back to the children her expressions goes soft, one hand coming up to brush a stray lock of hair from a panting face. "They asked us to save them." She says, voice quiet but with unmistakable steel. "I promised."

"You mean to stay behind by yourself?" Law blinks, shooting her a startled look. Straw Hat's crew has always seemed inordinately devoted to him. He wouldn't have thought one would willingly stay behind for anything. 

"What do you mean?" Straw Hat asks, baffled. As if Law is the confusing one. "We're not leaving anyone behind. If Nami and Chopper want to save them then so do I." He tilts his head, thinking, and then grins, clapping his hands together as if struck by sudden revelation. He turns to Law with a smile, and Law feels something in his stomach sink. "If you're going to form an alliance with us you should help us out!"

"That-" _has nothing to do with the alliance_ , Law starts to say. Then stops, taking a second look at Straw Hat. He's set on this, Law can see it in his eyes, and if previous experience is any indication then nothing Law can say will be able to change his mind. 

Fuck fuck _fuck_. Every time Straw Hat opens his mouth things get more complicated, and Law's starting to wonder if he'd make the right decision, proposing this alliance. His plan is delicate at best and he's beginning to severely doubt their ability to pull it off. Law wants to refuse on principal. Every minute they waste on the kids the chances of success slip further between their fingers but-

"Fuck it. We don't have time." Law rubs his temples, fighting back the migraine. Fuck, he really needs some coffee. He heaves a sigh and turns to Straw Hat with a hard look. "I'll find out what Caesar's been giving the kids." He snaps. "Who's your doctor? We'll need to do this without Caesar noticing."

The tiny raccoon thing raises its hand, and at this point Law isn't even fucking surprised. It's just that sort of day. At the very least it won't be hard to smuggle him in - so at least there's some advantage to this whole mess. Law rifles through his pockets, eventually pulling out a rough rucksack. "Get in." He says, holding it towards the raccoon. "We'll need to sneak you in."

The Straw Hats fuss, saying their goodbyes and confirming details of the plan one last time, and Law grits his teeth and waits, still holding the bag open. Finally the raccoon turns, trotting away from the man in the floppy hat who'd pulled him up into one last embrace, double checking he knew the arrangement again. "Alright!" He says, smiling up at Law, his little blue nose twitching in the cold. "Let's go."

He scrambles amicably into the bag, and Law ties it to his sword, balancing it on his shoulder. The creature, whatever he is, barely weighs a thing, and he pokes his head out of the bag, waving to the Straw Hats one last time. Law makes an impatient noise and turns to go, then pauses. "All of you-" He says, addressing the remaining Straw Hats. It shouldn't need to be said, but better safe than sorry. "Be careful with Caesar. He isn't just some random scientist. He's got a 300 million bounty and a logia type devil-fruit. Don't fight him unless you can use haki."

"Me and Zoro can use it." Straw Hat replies, grinning cheerfully. He waves his hand dismissively. "And you, I guess. We'll be fine!"

"Once we make a move on Caesar there's no turning back. Now's the time to change your mind." Law warns, gaze wandering over them one by one, meeting each of their eyes. Not a single on looks away. Half of them are even fucking smiling. God, they're doomed. 

Straw Hat slaps him on the shoulder, still grinning. It's a careless, bright thing, almost sloppy in its sheer enthusiasm. "Nah, this is going to be fun! And a promise is a promise! I'll see you after we've got Caesar!"

Law stares at him for a moment, narrow eyed. An alliance with the Straw Hats, Smoker's heart beating a hole in his pocket, and the SAD manufacture room finally within reach. For once it almost seems like everything is going his way.

Law doesn't trust it for an instant.

Finally he gives a sharp nod, turning away from Straw Hat. "Good." He says simply, and leaves. Suspicious good fortune aside, this is the best chance Law has had since the start of this whole damn affair. For once the deck actually seems stacked in his favor, and conspiracy or not, there's nothing to do but follow it through to the end. 

* * *

The raccoon make an awed _'oh'_ noise every time Law _shambles_ , stretching _Room_ until his skin feels thin and tight and replacing himself with the furthest object he can sense. The landscape passes in jolting fragments, Law's feet barely hitting the ground before he's disappearing once more, sending up flurries of snow as he carries them across the landscape at frightening speed.

"Your devil fruit is very versatile isn't it?" The raccoon asks, peering at Law from where he's hanging over his shoulder. He blinks at Law, wide eyed and trusting, not seeming to give a second's thought to the fact Law currently has him stuffed in a bag over his shoulder, heading towards an enemy base. How the Straw Hats ever survived the Grand Line is a mystery.

"You could say that." Law replies noncommittally. He doesn't give the raccoon time to answer, flashing through another step. The landscape vanishes, a startled bird tumbling to the ground where they'd stood just a second ago, and Law bends his legs, absorbing the shock of the slight fall as they land, walking on.

Apparently even the stomach-churning jostling of Law's makeshift teleportation isn't enough to shut the raccoon up, because a moment later the it pipes up again. "I don't know if Luffy ever said it." The raccoon says, speaking softly, though even then it's voice seems to echo across the frozen wasteland. "But thanks. For saving him, I mean. After Marineford. Without him..." He trails off, tiny face scrunching up, looking like it's on the verge of tears, it's lip beginning to quiver. 

No. Fuck no. Law is not dealing with any crying. No alliance is worth this. "It was nothing." Law replies shortly and does three jumps in quick succession, hoping to escape the conversation.

No such luck. "It's not nothing!" The raccoon cries, sniffling. "I've seen his scar you know - I'm the ship's doctor. I've given him a full examination. If you hadn't- If you hadn't-" It coughs, rubbing its dripping nose with a hoofed hand, taking a moment. When it continues it's more composed. "Luffy was very lucky you were there that day." It says finally, voice quiet, as if wary of even mentioning what might have been. 

Neither of them say the obvious - that Straw Hat would have died within the hour if Law hadn't been there to provide aid. He could have had a team of the worlds best doctors, the raccoon included, and he still would have died. It was Law's power that had kept Straw Hat alive and they both know it.

One last jump and the tunnel leading into the back of the facility appears before them, saving Law from answering. "Be still and stay in the bag." Law says instead. "Caesar will most likely be in the main room with a woman, Monet. I'll find an excuse to lead them away. When I do you need to sneak away and investigate the drugs."

"I don't get it." The raccoon says, ducking back into the sack. It's voice comes out muffled through the rough fabric. "If you're so close to them, why don't you just capture Caesar yourself?"

"There are... complicating factors." Law admits with a scowl. He can feel it every time Caesar handles his heart - a clammy feeling in the hole in his chest where his heart should be, like fingers prodding at a bruise. Caesar had touched it a little over half an hour ago but since then Law hasn't felt anything. He doesn't know whether that's a good sign. "I can't face Caesar head on, not until I've taken something back from him. Until then he can't know I've betrayed him. That why I need you guys to challenged him, distract him while I get it back and destroy the facility. So-"

There's a gleeful cry from somewhere above them, and Law turns just in time to see a figure go hurtling through the sky, crashing to the ground in the carcass of the warship at the mouth of the harbor. A moment later a second figure joins it, the pair of elegant wings at their back vanishing as they touch down. Law's mouth falls open. No. Surely not.

But- Yes. That's Straw Hat, attacking a whole marine fleet with only two men for support.

"What the fuck?" Law asks, dumbstruck. The plan had been a covert operation, Straw Hat and his people to sneak in through one of the maintenance shafts and make off with Caesar. Not whatever the fuck this is. Law makes a strangled noise, still trying to process what the fuck is going on, and the raccoon just laughs.

"Luffy must have gotten impatient." The raccoon says, before tucking itself back into the bag, leaving Law staring out over the chaos in the harbor. There's an explosion, another piece of the ruined hull collapsing with a thunderous noise. Above it, Law can just make out the sound of laughter. 

Fuck it, Law decides, scrubbing a hand over his face. Fuck everything. He turns and Shambles up into the tunnel, leaving Straw Hat to his insanity. He has a heart to retrieve and a room to destroy. He can deal with this - _all_ of this - later.

* * *

Monet looks up as Law enters the room, eyes closing in a slow blink, unsurprised at his presence. She twists on her bar chair, smiling mildly at Law as she drags a nail file over the edge of her talons. An innocent action in any other woman, but Monet has claws like a raptor. Her gaze has the same inscrutable quality as a cat, amused and all-knowing, and it leaves Law feeling not unlike being something pinned beneath a microscope. 

"If you're looking for Master Caesar, he's not here." She says idly, spinning her chair around to face the bar and flipping the page of her book with her free hand. Another newspaper, not that she ever seems to read anything different. 

"Oh really?" Law asks, feigning bored interest. He sets his Kikoku down on one of the couches absentmindedly, and makes his way to the bar. There's not enough time for a coffee, but Law could do with something to warm his insides, and a bit of whiskey seems just the thing. It's that sort of day. "Where is he?"

Monet hums, flipping to the next page of her paper. "Who knows. He might be out front, picking a fight with those Marines. You know how he is - always so playful."

Law pours himself a finger, the whiskey a dull glowing amber in the sterile white light. It burns on the way down, settling heavy in his stomach, but Law takes it without a single noise of complaint. Unwise perhaps to drink in the midst of such a delicate situation, but it's hardly going to be a glass of whiskey that brings it all crashing down around his head. "I've been meaning to tell you." Law says, setting the glass down and leaning on the bar. Monet looks up, curious. "I've finished my research in the old laboratories. Got what I needed. I mean to be off soon."

Monet tilts her head, her smile a mild thing, almost kind. She's rather good at that. Law has seen her talons cut through metal like it was nothing more than paper, and yet when she smiles like this she looks almost harmless. "I see. We'll miss you." She says. "Caesar has appreciated your presence. It does him good to be in the presence of his peers. True scientific intellect is hard to come across, don't you agree?"

"Before I go, I was wonder if I could borrow your powers for a moment. You're devil fruit is intriguing, and I've always wondered if it has an impact on your physiology. Do you mind?" Law asks, grabbing Kikoku from the couch. He doesn't glance at the bag sitting on the couch, turning to look at Monet, his expression expectant. 

Monet hums, considering the proposal for a long moment. Law waits silently, to all appearances lax and indifferent. "Alright." She says finally, unbending from her contorted crouch on the bar stool, talons clinking as the hit the floor. "I was bored anyway. What's the experiment?"

"A couple of simple measurements. I'm curious as to the effect of your transformation on your metabolism." Law replies, not letting his eyes stray backwards once as they leave the room. He leads her through the facility to the room where he'd set up a makeshift study. A couple of vitals scans should keep her occupied for the time it takes the raccoon to makes itself scarce, and if not, Law can always resort to something more permanent. Monet is perhaps the biggest threat when facing Caesar's security, and Law wouldn't pass up an opportunity to quietly get her out of the way. He brushes a hand over his chest, chasing some tiny discomfort, only choke on his next breath and double over, clutching his chest as his insides explode into a crushing pain, a vice squeezing his insides. 

Law shudders, sinking to his knees with a pained gasp. Kikoku tumbles from between his fingers, clattering to the ground, and it's all Law could do to stay upright. _"What-"_

"Oh, Law. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Monet asked, her tone as mild as ever. But there's something there, a deeper tone. Amusement. "That looks quite painful."

For a moment Law can almost breath, the pain fading to a raw, bruised sensation that throbs in his chest, only for it to return twice as brutally a second later. He gasps, hands white-knuckled, clenched so hard his nails cut into his skin, blood slicking his palms. Law has seen what happens to things that depressurize in the deep ocean, the moment the crushing force of a thousand leagues of water presses in on them. By the end, there's nothing left but sagging skin and seeping liquid, every solid structure pulverized into so much oozing sludge. This, he imagines, is not unlike what that feels like. Another squeeze, white spots dancing across his vision as his entire chest seizes beneath the sudden pressure. Law doubles over, face pressed to the frigid tiles, slick with cold sweat, hands scrabbling at the empty hole in his chest. 

If this goes on any longer his heart will fail completely. The Ope-Ope fruit might allow it's removal, but it's still an integral part of Law, and Law can no more survive it's destruction than he can he can survive the cold embrace of the ocean. The beat of his heart pounds in his ears like a drum beat, drowning out all other sound, but Law twists to the side, glaring down the corridor. There, in the shadows, he can just make out the silhouette of a tall figure. "Who's there? Who are you?" He demands, struggling to get one hand beneath himself, fingers trembling as he tries to haul himself up.

One step forward, a pair of leather shoes appeared in the light. Another step, and Law freezes, insides going cold faster than if he'd drunk liquid nitrogen. For a second everything is still and silent, a terrible ringing in his ears, and Law swears he can almost hear the groan and crack of ice. Something solidifies in his chest, frigid and knife sharp. He feels like one of the icebergs in the lake, chilled to the core and brittle, crashing itself to pieces against the icy shore.

Vergo looks the same as ever, slick, smug, with a veneer of thinly-veiled cruelty to his smile that shines through even behind his shades. "How many years has it been?" He asks, footsteps echoing as he steps closer, looming over Law. Monet flits to his side, staring down at Law with a smile borders on delighted, but Virgo only has eyes for Law. "You've grown so big, Law." Vergo says, and the rank condescension in his tone is enough to make Law bare his teeth. "I almost didn't recognize you."

Law can't look at him without seeing Cora's smile, so stupid and silly and fucking kind. Can still hear the sound Cora made when Vergo beat him, gasping wetly between each punch and drowning in his own blood, his eyes not leaving Law's for an instant even as blood streamed down his face and Law cried and screamed, hurling himself against his restraints. He can remembering the clawing fear in his belly, watching Cora die by inches, one blow at a time, his blood so dark in the snow as Law watched and watched and watched, unable to do a single thing to stop it.

And Law-

Law is _angry._ It settles over him like shroud, sinking into his very bones, his fucking _cells_ , every atom of his being burning with the same ice cold fury. This isn't a passing flutter of irritation, not the fleeting moments of disgust or rage Caesar evoked. This is an anger that grows like a glacier, like an ice age, a blistering cold that breaks everything in its path, wearing everything it touches into so many jagged knives. Law is clear headed, agonizingly so, and when he speaks his voice is calm, almost indifferent. He looks Vergo in the eyes and asks. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. I happened to be at Dressrosa so I accompanied the tanker." Vergo replies, giving a casual shrug, as if its all just one happy coincidence. He looks down at Law, eyes flinty, amused. "Looks like it was the right move. Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

"Ah." Law agrees blandly, and lunges for his sword.

Something in his chest seizes, contracting like someone's put it in a vice and _twisted_. Law gasps, curling in on himself with a pained wheeze, but doesn't let go of Kikoku. "How impatient." Vergo said mildly, using the same tone one might use when admonishing a naughty child. He tosses his bamboo pipe in hand, testing its weight, the air rippling around it as he engulfs it in his haki, a dark sheen slipping over the wood. "And here I thought you would have learned better by now."

Law's fingers clench around his sword, desperate and futile. He catches a one last flash of colour as Vergo swings the pipe down, the oil-slick glint of haki in the sterile white light of the hall, then everything goes black.

* * *

The first thing he feels a terrible throbbing in his head, like the dull resonance of a gong, once beaten and now still humming with the force of the blow. There's a sharp pain centered on his temple and a fuzziness to his thoughts that leaves no question as to whether he has a concussion. Law groans, wincing when the movement only makes the pain spike higher, and pries his eyes open. He makes a disgruntled sound when he finds a face only inches from his, wide dark eyes peering into his. Straw Hat smiles and leans back. "Guys, Torao is awake!"

Law takes stock. His head aches like someone's driven an icepick through his skull, blood dried tacky down the side of his face, and there's a familiar cold weight around his wrists, the harsh edges of the manacles cutting into his skin. The only saving grace is that it doesn't feel like Vergo fractured his skull. The manacles are cumbersome, but the leeching numbness of seastone is absent from the cuffs, suggesting that his efforts in replacing a few of Caesar's special handcuffs haven't been misplaced. Not a great situation by all means, but not as bad as it could be either.

From where Law's lying he can see Straw Hat, Smoker and the pitiful captain Tashigi, and he suspects the leg pressed to his back and breath puffing on his neck belong to the other two Straw Hats that had seconded Straw Hat's mad attack on the marine fleet - Nico Robin and the cyborg, Franky. Seems their siege of the lab hadn't gone well after all. Law makes low noise and sits up, leaning heavily against the bars of the cage. They're locked in some sort of contraption fitted into the wall of the main lounge, the panels in the wall slid open to admit the cage. 

Vergo, Caesar, and Monet are gathered at the couches, watching something Caesar's men set up something in the wasteland through a video feed. Law cranes for a better look, only to still when a flash of movement catches his eye from the corner of the room. There, half hidden beneath one of Caesar's ridiculous machines, something just shifted. Something small and dark. Well, that's convenient. Law turns away, looking back towards the screen - better not to attract attention to it. 

"This is familiar." Nico Robin say, tone remarkably even for being trussed up and captured. Her tone is almost nostalgic, and there's a small smile on her lips. "Everyone in the same cage... It almost feels like we're back in Alabasta."

Straw Hat laughs, chains clinking as the movement makes his entire form shift. " _Shishishi!_ I remember! That was a fun time."

_"Shut it."_ Tashigi growls, but no, that's Smoker isn't it? Law switched them during their last fight. Smoker hasn't taken to being a woman well - his shirt is unbuttoned, hanging wide open, and it looks like he's completely given up on trying to wear a bra. Tashigi on the other hand seems utterly mortified at how Smoker's parading around in her body, her flushed expression surreal on Smoker's scarred visage as she shuffles forward, trying to put herself between Smoker's open shirt and any wandering eyes.

"Vergo must have been the one covering up all those kidnappings." Tashigi says grimly, shooting a filthy look at the man himself. She looks ready to spit at his feet. "How could someone so high in the brass become so corrupt?"

"Vergo never betrayed the Marines." Law replies shortly, relishing the incredulous look she sends his way, confusion evident in every line of her face. "He was never a Marine to begin with. The Joker ordered him to infiltrate the Marines, and since then he's been working his way up the chain of command. He's been the Joker's man from the very beginning."

"And know that you know it, none of you will leave this island alive." Vergo says, turning to stare at them through his dark lenses. His smile has nothing even remotely kind or happy about it. He looked like a shark, flat eyed and indifferent, baring his teeth for the sole sake of seeing the fear in their eyes. He always has been a sadistic son of a bitch. "Such heros - to have chased down and executed such dangerous pirates, taking down the Straw Hats at the cost of your own lives. I'm sure they'll decorate your graves well."

The radio crackles to life, Caesar's gleeful tones washing over them as he seizes a microphone, beginning the broadcast. _"Welcome all brokers, you lucky few chosen to witness the birth of a new era of warfare. I present you SLIME! A new weapon of mass destruction, five times as potent as the gas that destroyed Punk Hazard four years ago-"_

Law stops listening. He frowns slightly, hands digging around in his pockets, and makes a pleased noise beneath his breath when he finds what he's looking for. He kicks Straw Hat's leg. Straw Hat jumps, thwaking his head against the wall of the cell and yelping. He turns to Law, rubbing his head, confusion evident. "What?"

"I need a distraction, something small. Get their eyes off me for two minutes." Law whispers, inclining his head at room below. Straw Hat blinks, then grins. It looks positively malicious - or at least about as close as Straw Hat can get, which is cheerfully mischievous, the expression threatening imminent and uncontainable chaos. "I can do that."

Law nods, mind already whirling. He doesn't know what he expects Straw Hat to do, but it's not for him to turn around and headbutt Smoker in the face with a cheerful cry. Smoker reels back with a grunt, blood streaming down his nose, and Law gapes, because _Jesus fucking Christ_. Then he shakes himself and gets back to work, scrawling a hasty note behind his back on the rumpled paper he'd extracted from his pocket as Smoker sit up and lunges at Straw Hat, that side of the cage devolving into a mess of flying limbs and outraged shouts interspersed by cheerful war cries. Creating an already-expanded Room is not unlike jumping out of a tree and trying to land on the head of a pin - it requires precision, meticulous calculation, and no small amount of blind luck. Fortunately Law has become rather good at is recently, Shambling his was across the landscape like he does.

He clicks his fingers and breathed in, a slow, steady inhale, releasing the _Room_ all at once on the exhale. It bursts like a bubble, appearing fully materialized beyond the borders of the room, the sudden loss of energy hitting him like a punch to the stomach. It's one thing to grow a room inch by inch, feeding it a gradual stream of energy. It's another to force it into being already fully expanded, and the process leaves Law noticeably out of breath. Beyond the walls of the room the barrier of his _Room_ glows, any hint of incriminating blue safely obscured by layers of metal. The secrecy won't hold if anyone opens the door, so Law moves fast, replacing the note with an abandoned test-tube that had rolled under the machine with hasty _Shambles_.

The tube appears in his hand and Law breaths out, releasing the Room, and inclines his head in Straw Hat's direction in the minutest of nods. Nico Robin watches him, something like amusement in her face. Straw Hat himself barely notices, too busy tussling with Smoker. She has that same inscrutable look at Monet - unflappable, all-knowing, watching everything as if its just some distant amusement. "What?" Law demands, scowling at her.

"Nothing." Nico Robin replies, running a fond hand through the cyborg's hair. He's still passed out, snoring with his head cushioned in her lap. "Nothing at all." She smiles, her expression too damn knowing, and Law narrows his eyes. She doesn't look at him again though, turning her attention instead to the events unfolding beyond the cage.

Caesar snaps something at the guards, sending them scurrying out the door, and then chuckles, wandering over to leer at them through he bars. "You see?" He gloats, eyes narrowed with malicious pleasure. The sight of his smug, grinning face is enough to make Law want to put a knife through his skull. "You should never trust anyone, Trafalgar. Monet was following you the whole time, transformed into something else. We knew exactly what you were up to."

"I underestimated her." Law admits, meeting Caesar's eyes squarely. "I thought she was as dumb as you."

Fury flashes across Caesar's face and he twists, dissolving into gas and flying towards Vergo. He snatches Law's heart from his hand, twisting it viciously. Law chokes, gritting his teeth so hard it feels like they're going to break, but still can't help the pained grunt forces its way between his lips. For a moment all he can feel is pure blinding agony and when he blinks his eyes open again he's collapse on the floor again, face pressed to the cold stone, mouth awash with copper. He spits out a mouthful of blood, glaring at Caesar.

"They've got your heart?" Straw Hat asks, leaning over him, eyes are fixed on the pulsing cube in Caesar's hand. He glances down at Law, expression awash with childish awe. "How are you still alive?"

Law glowers back at him, wincing as he pushes himself upright. He's not inclined to explain his powers at the best of times, and even less so now, when every rise of his chest only makes the raw pressure in his chest ache all the more. Straw Hat shuffles backwards, giving him space, but he's still crowded far too close for Law's comfort. Law ignores him.

"And where's my heart?" Smoker growls, leaning forward to glare at Law. A stray lock of hair falling into his face and he stares at it, affronted by its very existence, glaring at it furiously for a few moments before finally giving and blowing it away with a quick exhale.

"Safe." Law says, giving him a sharp look. "For now."

Smoker snarls, a vein at his temple throbbing. The chains rattle on his wrists and Law has no doubt that if he had his jitte right now he'd happily drive it through Law's face. "Trafalgar-"

"Quiet." Law snaps, movement on the screen below drawing his attention. "Something's happening."

Smoker cuts himself off with a growl, giving Law one last vicious look before turning to watch the display. It's a demonstration of some sort, Caesar's men setting up something in the frozen wastelands. Whatever it is, it's enormous and it has every one of the guards wearing a full hazmat set up. Law tries to pay attention, but keeps getting distracted. He can feel Caesar's hands on his heart, the way they twitch slightly as he fidgets. Even the most minute touches are painful, aggravating already bruised and abused flesh. The brush of Caesar's gloves against it's surface feels like sandpaper scoured across Law's insides.

He flinches when Caesar turns it over in his hands, passing it back to Vergo, who looks up at Law and gives it a gentle squeeze, smiling when Law wheezes and grits his teeth, glaring back. The sight of it in Vergo's hands makes something in Law go tight and angry, nausea rising in throat.

On the screen a toxic mass spreads across the landscape, eventually enveloping the massive candy Caesar's men had dragged out into the wastes. The candy disappears from view and the mass explodes into a great cloud of dark gas that hanging close to the ground, dense and impenetrable. It's edges roil and shift, seemingly against the wind, before suddenly expanding outwards. 

"What-" Straw Hat says, pressed close to the bars. The guards around the cloud scatter, fleeing the oncoming wave of gas. Their screams are cut off all too short, ceasing the moment they disappear within the gas. The camera quickly pans backwards, rising higher into the sky as the cloud spills out across the landscape, rolling over Punk Hazard like a wave, sending Marines and pirates alike fleeing for their lives. Most don't make it, even the fastest of them quickly overtaken by the gas, their lives snuffed out in seconds.

"Nami and Zoro are out there. Brook too." Straw Hat says, voice so cold that Law actually turns to look, not quiet able to believe it'd come from him. He stills when he see's his face. Straw Hat looks angry. Truly, properly angry. He stares at the screen with a hard look in his eyes, lips pressed into a hash line, fingers clenched so tightly around the bars that his wrists tremble faintly with the force of it, the skin over his knuckles pulled tight and bloodless. It's an eerie expression, all the more chilling for the fact it's Straw Hat wearing it. Law's seen him face down an army of Marines and come out of it laughing, bullet bouncing off his skin like water off a stone. Straw Hat grins in the face of the everything, utterly fearless, and yet he's not grinning now. 

"Oh. Are they your friends?" Caesar croons, leaning right up against the bars. "Don't worry, you'll be joining them soon." With a click of his finger the cage shudders and twists, rotating back into the wall. A burst of cold air washes over them as cables at the top of their cage grow taught and the whole thing lifts, a crane carrying them out of the facility and into the open air, snow whistling through the bars of the cage, drawn by a biting wind that scours every inch of bare flesh. 

They're high above the facility, the wreck of the warship visible in the harbor below. The Marines shout and wave their arms, calling to their commanders. Their voices are lost to the wind but even Law can see the desperation on their faces. Tashigi surges forward, struggling against her bonds, throwing herself against the bars and calling futile promises to men who probable can't even hear her. "We're coming! I won't let it touch you! I promise!"

"I don't suppose anyone can make a fire?" Law says mildly, once the cage finally shudders to a stop. Smoker and Tashigi just giving him a suspicious look, even as the Straw Hats round on him, a flurry of questions already spilling from Straw Hat. 

"I can." The cyborg says, pushing himself upright. His grin is sharklike, every tooth eerily, perfectly square. "They didn't disable my lazers. What do you need?"

"A smokescreen." Law says. "It's time for our counter attack."

* * *

The fire catches quickly, the ragged pile of donated fabric sizzling beneath the crackling beam of Franky's lasers. Smoke shrouds the cages and Law doesn't waste another moment, letting his manacles clatter to the floor of the cage and extending a _Room_. Kikoku drops back into hand, back where it belongs, and Law cuts the Straw Hats free. Law turns to Smoker and Tashigi, pinning them with a long look. "Well?" He asks, fingers drumming on Kikoku's hilt. "What will it be?"

"How do we know you're not just going to take the chance to kill us?" Smoker growls. 

"If I wanted you dead all I'd have to do is leave you here." Law shrugs. His smile is not a pleasant thing. He has them by the balls and they both know it. "You're of more use to me alive. Even if you just go back to your base and report Vergo, well, that's plenty helpful. But, if want to do more-" Law pulls Smoker heart from his pocket. Law smirks. "I'm sure we could come to some sort of arrangement."

"Blackmail." Smoker snarls, Tashigi drawing back with a look of furious disgust. Not that it will help them - they have no other choice. Either the fog will kill them, or Law's mercy will finally run it's course. All it would take is one little cut and no doctor in the world will be able to save Smoker. By their glares, they both know it. 

"Maybe." Law admits easily, turning the heart over in his hand and watching the look of instinctive discomfort Smoker tries to squash. "Or you could call it a trade. I'll free you, return you to your proper bodies and give you your heart back, and all I ask in return is that you don't report anything about me or the Joker. What do you say? After all, think what will happen to your men if you don't manage to escape." Law says, shooting a pitying look at the Marines far below.

Smoker glowers, gritting his teeth together until Law can almost hear the grinding of his molars, but there's only really one answer. "Fine!" Smoker snaps. "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook. Once this shit is over I'm hunting you like every other flea-bitten cur. You'll see a noose, Trafalgar, even if I have to string it around your neck myself."

"You can try." Law says dryly, but inclines his head, cutting the two of them loose and tossing Smoker back his heart. Smoker catches it, and Tashigi almost drops it as Law suddenly switches them back, returning them to their rightful body. Smoker glares, but snatches it up, pressing it back into his chest. Law makes an amused noise, turning back to the Straw Hats. "Alright. We need to get inside the facility. Anyone who's left outside when the gas arrived will die. I doubt we have more than 20 minutes before its upon us. "

Straw Hat nods, hands already clenched in the wire mesh. With one swift movement he rips it open, tearing open sizable gap. Law hesitates, glancing at the Straw Hat's and then at the balcony of the facility far below. He's sure they could make it but- "Do you trust me?"

Straw Hat blinks at him, then grins, smile so bright its almost blinding. "Of course."

What a fool. Law sighs, then gestures everyone to gather closer. He takes a deep breath, pushes the Room even further. _"Shambles."_

They land on the balcony, the cage jerking high above them with the sudden change in weight. A couple stumble - Tashigi and Franky caught off guard by the sudden move, while Smoker merely glowers, unswayed, and Nico Robin smiles, as if shes done it a thousand times before. Straw Hat bounces on the balls of his feet, letting out an excited whoop and turns to Law eagerly. "Can we do that again?"

"Not right now." Law replies, cutting through the facility walls with three jagged strikes of his sword, carving a lop-sides hole through the frosted metal and then closing it again seamlessly once they'd all piled in. "We need to get to the control room - we can open the main doors from there."

Together they make a formidable team, Smoker and Straw Hat taking down facility guards by the dozen, Nico Robin, Franky and Tashigi taking care of any strays that slip through while Law leads them to the controls, dicing every camera he spots to ribbons as they go. No doubt Caesar is watching their every move, and Law won't give him any advantages. 

The Marines come pouring in the moment the doors begin to open, letting out cries of whole-hearted relief and shocked shouts when they spot Smoker and Tashigi standing side by sides with a bunch of pirates. Straw Hat perches on the rail of the observation level, watching the doors intently and Law can't help but watch him. There's a coiled tension to his frame, eyes fixed on the doors with an unblinking intensity, not seeming to even register the Marines the pouring in, the guns that rise, trained on his form. 

"Close the doors!" The Marines cry, scrambling further into the facility and shooting desperate glances back the doors. "The gas is almost here!"

"Wait." Straw Hat says, voice flat. Law hesitates, his hand on the lever. They should cut their losses. They can't afford to let the gas get in the facility, and if some people get left outside then too bad. That's life. Not everyone survives. And yet for some reason Law finds himself hesitating, his eyes fixed on Straw Hat.

"Pull the lever." Smoker growls, stepping closer. Law clenches his hands around the level but doesn't move. Straw Hat still watching the doors, counting every soul that comes sprinting through.

_"Now,_ Trafalgar!" Smoker snaps. When Law doesn't move he lunges forward, slamming a hand down on top of Law's and wrenching the lever down. The doors shudder and clank, a mechanical grinding filling the room as they slide back into place, sealing them off from the outside from the outside world. Straw Hat's eyes don't move.

"They'll make it." Straw Hat says, not a single hint of doubt in his voice. His body is coiled like a spring, ready to jump, and Law has the startling realization that there's a very real chance that Straw Hat will run back into the snow to try and find his lost crew. The worst part is Law isn't even surprised. 

"Straw Hat-ya..." Law starts, but what does he even say? "The doors are already closed."

"They'll make it." Straw Hat repeats, not looking away from the door - six inches of cruel iron that separate them from the outside world, condemning Straw Hat's men to a cold death in the gas. Short of opening the doors again there's no way they'll make it through. Every other exterior entrance has already been sealed. It's too late. And yet Straw Hat doesn't look away, not losing hope for an instant. 

Law clenches his jaw, wondering what the fuck he's supposed to say now. In the end he doesn't need to say anything, because a moment later there's a terrible screeching from the doors as a whole chunk of wall comes tumbling forward, slices to pieces by three quick strikes of a sword. Cutting through steel that thick should be impossible, but there are a lot of impossible things in the New World. Through the hole come sprinting in the last of the Straw Hat's, Brownbeard at their back, and there's a collective moment of panic as the Marines scramble to right the wall and slot it back into place before the gas can seep in.

Straw Hat leaps from the rail heedless of the Marines that scramble to get out of his way. Straw Hat doesn't give them a second look. He has eyes only for his crew, a wide grin stretched over his face even as he bounds through the crowd, making a beeline for them. Law sighs and vaults over the rail after him, landing in a crouch, Kikoku on his shoulder, and makes for the breach. A flash of Room and its sealed, metal slotted seamlessly back into place with no sign of the cuts remaining.

There are shouts from around the room, cheers at the Marines crowd around their commanders and the Straw Hats reunite, and it's only once the chaos subsides a little that the Marines seem to realize just who they're keeping company with. Swords are drawn, pistols cocked, and within seconds the Straw Hats are surrounded by a whole swarm of angry Marines. Law scowls, glaring at the whole lot of them, shooting an irritated look at Smoker, who just meets his gaze evenly. Seems no help will come from that quarter. 

Fine, Law will simply have to do it himself. He heads up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and stops when he has a bit of elevation. He takes a deep breath, still scowling, and opens his mouth. _"HEY! Everyone listen up!"_

Two hundred heads turn to watch him, all staring with varying degrees of confusion. Law glares back at them, what little patience he has already worn out. "The entire facility is currently surrounded by poisonous gas. Step outside and you'll be dead in minutes." He announces, glaring down at them. "There's only one was out of the facility - Zone R Door 66. It lets out directly onto the sea. I don't care what you do, but if you're still here in 2 hours then I take no responsibility for what happens to you!"

"Is something going to happen to the lab in two hours?" Straw Hat asks, landing on the rail beside him.

"I'm going to happen." Law replies flatly, already turning away. This is the best and only chance Law is going to have to destroy the SAD manufacture room and he'll do anything to make sure it happens, even if it means bringing the whole mountain down on their heads. He sends Straw Hat a sideways glance, adding "Do what you need to do and get out. And for fucks sake, don't be late."

Straw Hat grins. " _Shishishi!_ Alright, this is interesting!" He turns his head, scanning the gathered crowd and bellows "HEY ZORO! SANJI! EVERYONE! I'M GOING TO GO KIDNAP CAESAR!"

"OKAY!" Someone shouts back. Law doesn't spot who, there are too many people in the crowd and Straw Hat's screw is scattered all over the place. "WE'RE GOING TO GO FIND THOSE KIDS!"

Straw Hat shoots the crowd a beaming thumbs-up and bounds away, sprinting down the nearest corridor before Law can get a word in edgewise. The Marines stare, dumbstruck, until Smoker makes an annoyed noise and growls for them to all gather up. The Marines hop to it, crowding up beneath the observation level to hear his orders even as they seen uncertain looks at the Straw Hats, who waste no time in peeling away, elbowing their way through the Marines like the very same men hadn't just been holding them at gunpoint only moments previously.

Law shoots Smoker one last look then leaves them to it, prowling down the corridor and cutting down any guards who get in his way. He makes a bee-line for the SAD manufacture room, something like anticipation swelling in his chest, electric and heady, almost euphoric. Months he's spent trying to find a way around its security system without alerting Caesar and now he doesn't even bother, cutting straight through the doors and letting them clatter to the ground behind him. The moment Vergo arrived on Punk Hazard any hope of caution was thrown to the wind. Law won't survive this, not when Vergo already has his heart, but he'll be damned if he doesn't take down the SAD refinery with him. 

Cables crisscross the ground in thick tangles, humming with power, and around them the room breathes like an animal - hissing steam through narrow valves and growling as the machines do their work, drip drip dripping thousands of liters of SAD into ever more refined forms and casting a sinister green glow over the rest of the room. The walls are linked with tankers, plastered with warning signs and humming with malicious energy, but Law walks past them, heading straight for the center of the operation - the rehoner. A single tank of hyper-refined SAD that catalyzes the reaction that produces the SAD. Extremely rare and utterly essential for the manufacture process. If Law can destroy this it won't matter if Caesar can repair the equipment, he won't have anything to work with.

Law wonders idly if he should be scared. Vergo has his heart, has probably already reported his actions to Doflamingo. If Vergo doesn't manage to kill him here, Doflamingo certainly will as soon as he reaches Dressrosa. Death stares him in the face, and yet he all feels is vicious anticipation. This is the moment of reckoning, the beginning of Cora's revenge, and Law will see it through no matter the cost.

There's a clanging from high above, a door being thrown open on one of the high walkways, and a Vego jumps, aiming to intercept Law before he had reach the rehoner. Everything happens quickly after that. A _Room_ bursts from Law's skin, engulfing the room in a flash of blue. He makes a lunge for his heart, stealing it from Vergo's hands with a hiss of displaced air. For a single moment it rests in his hand, safe and sound and back where it belongs, and then he's flying back into the rail, breath forced from his lungs with the force of Vergo's kick. His heart flies through the air, tumbling downwards, and lands squarely in Vergo's hand.

"Did you really think that would work?" Vergo asks, voice almost idle. Law glares, pushing himself off the rail and-

_Agony,_ blinding hot and clawing at his insides like a animal trying to escape. Law screams as Vergo's finger dig in deeper. He can feel the press of every finger like an iron weight, the edge of his nails where they cut in deep, _squeezing_ \- 

There's a second where Law is sure his heart has stopped, that he can feel it rupturing in his chest, flesh bursting beneath Vergo's fingers like an overripe fruit-

_Ba-dum._

Law almost weeps at the sound. There are tears in his eyes, blood in his mouth, and with every beat of his heart he can feel that came wretched pain, a deep and persistent echo, and knows there are bruises on his heart now, flesh that was never meant to see the light of day now ripening and purpling beneath Vergo's fingertips. 

_Ba-dum._

Clawed fingers drag around the ground, groping blinding for his sword, trembling as he presses his hand flat to the ground, trying to push himself back up. His legs shake beneath him, almost giving way completely when he tries to stand, but Law forces himself up anyway. There are plenty of ways that Law would be happy to die, but at Vergo's hands is not one of them, not without taking the sorry son of a bitch out with him. 

_Ba-dum._

He grits his teeth and grabs the rail, squeezing until the metal bites into his palms, and hauls himself to his feet. Vergo doesn't let him get far, meeting him with a brutal punch to the face that snaps Law's head back, copper exploding in his mouth. He hits the rail hard, sagging against it like a doll with it's strings snapped. For a moment everything is eclipsed by the ringing in his ears, every sensory input giving way to the sharp shock of pain. He's vaguely aware of his hat falling down into the clanking belly of the SAD manufacture room far below, of Vergo stepping back, a sharp smirk on his lips, even as he raises his hand once more.

The next punch catches Law across the temple and for a terrible second his vision goes dark, black spots dancing across his eyes. What little of his body still responds is a mess of broken, jagged angles. The bloody aching his chest, more painful with every heartbeat, the sharp staccato pain of a concussion, blood dripping down his face. His ribs are broken, or cracked at least, just another grating pain to add to a long catalog of broken pieces. He feels bloody, jagged, so broken that no doctor will ever be able to put him back together. He raises his arms anyway, something like hate, something like spite and rage and vicious ruthless _justice_ driving him him through one final lunge, his hand hitting Vergo's chest softly even as Law wheezes. _"Countershock."_

Law knows the moment that the attack connects that it won't be enough. Vergo falters, falling back a step, but he's not truly phased. The electricity stalled him for a moment, but none of it is getting through his haki. Law catches himself against the rail, his feet about to collapse beneath him, and wipes a dribble of blood from his eyes, only managing to smear it further. He'd known it was a long shot, but he'd hoped- It doesn't matter what he'd hoped. It didn't work. A simple countershock was never going to be enough to take out a man like Vergo. 

"I have a message from Joker." Vergo says, lips curled into a sneer. He brushes a hand down his coat front, wiping away a piece of imaginary dust - or perhaps it's just the filth of Law having laid a hand on him. " _'It's a pity.'"_

Fuck that. Fuck _him_. Law spits a mouthful of blood at Vergo's feet and bares his bloody teeth. "I had it all calculated, you know?" Law says. He's lost, he knows he's lost, but there's still something in his chest that boils and rages, frothing for one last chance, one last attack- "I knew exactly how to retrieve my heart from Caesar. You were my only miscalculation."

"You were never as smart as you thought you were, Law." Vergo replies flatly, and squeezes.

Law doesn't notice much of anything after that.

* * *

There are voices. They're distant, distorted, and Law can't make out the words. He feels numb, empty, and it takes everything he has just to open his eyes. It feels like he's swimming, head in the water, salt stinging at his eyes, but no. He's not swimming - he can't swim anymore can he? The water is creeping up and up and _up_ and Law is _drowning_ \- But it's not water in his eyes, is it? It's blood.

He pries his eyes open and there is Kikoku. Even within its sheath it howls - a hundred restless souls all shrieking at the world, guttural and senseless in their fury, any thought of coherence long since lost to the sheer desperation of their anger. It's... odd. Kikoku is always loud, but usually Law can't hear it. He feels its anger in its biting edge, the weight of it in his hand, _heavy heavy heavy_ , and the sound it makes when it cuts through flesh without his power to guide it, all wet and crunching and splattered blood on the floor. Strange, how familiar the sound is, when Law has never heard it before. 

But that's not true is it? Because he knows that noise, knows that anger, feels it every time he thinks of Doflamingo. Of Vergo. Of Corazone lying dead in his grave fourteen years later. He feels it when he thinks of the World Government, of Fleavence and his family. There is injustice in the world and the scales that should fix it, that should judge the guilty and damn the sinners, never fucking worked in the first place. Earth is the devil's domain, and Law has spent his whole life learning that lesson again and again.

_How fucking sad,_ Law thinks, and then: _pathetic._

Fuck this. Fuck _everything._ The world is shit, god doesn't exist, and people live just long enough to learn that they should cry when they die, and _fuck that_. Law is going to do this, going to do what he wants, what he needs, and everything else can go hang.

Law curls his fingers around Kikoku's hilt, listens to it wail like a dying beast, and gets a hand underneath him. There's blood in his eyes, in his mouth, slicking his hands and choking his lungs, but Law pushes onwards anyway. He heaves and drags and fucking _hauls_ himself onto his back, and laughs, a single bitter ha, at the sight that meets his eyes. He meets Smoker's eyes over Vergo's shoulder and wants to fucking howl with laughter. Vice Admiral Smoker, pirate hunter and joy of the Marines, risking his life to save a miserable pirate. And of course its more complicated than that, it always is, but the thought of it makes him chuckle.

He regrets it immediately. There's a biting pain in his chest every time he breaths, aching like someone has planted a hand in his chest and ripped out fistfuls of muscle - a broken collarbone. Deeper, lower, his chest throbs painfully with each beat of his heart, burning like a hot poker against his skin every time the fabric of Vergo's pocket brushes his over-sensitized heart.

For a second it's all he can do to lie there and just watch, the physical act of keeping eyes open enough to exhaust him. Smoker's attack pattern is strange. Law fought him just hours ago, has seen what Smoker can do, how strong his defense is, but now he's letting attacks slip past. Vergo's haki is renowned for its strength, rendering any logia-fruit defense useless. Keeping a gaseous form only creates a bigger target for Vergo's attacks, and yet Smoker doesn't relent. It's only when Smoker catches a hit from Vergo on his arm, grunting and falling back a step, a gaseous hand reaching around to pat lightly at Vergo's pockets that Law realizes what he's doing.

Law's clenches a hand on the rails, dragging himself up inch by painful inch. Alright. He can work with this.

It takes another five traded blows and a vicious strike to the stomach that leaves Smoker doubled over on the ground, his jitte broken at his feet, before Smoker's ploy succeeds. Law's heart goes skidding across the floor. Law snatches it up with a _shambles_ , pressing it directly back into his chest and making a broken noise of relief when its weight settles in his chest, aching and bruised and finally, finally _safe_. Vergo's still talking, he's always fucking talking, gloating over Smoker with the same vicious cruelty that leads a cat to toy with a mouse, releasing it again and again only to tear it apart a little more every time it catches it. He hasn't even noticed the theft. 

"What a story." Law says, cutting Vergo off. Vergo turns, eyes narrowing, but Law doesn't give him the chance to reply. He steps forward, a tiny blue sphere appearing in the air above his hand, within a instant expanding to fill the whole room. The effort almost sends Law to his knees, but he keeps going, feeding more every into it, further and further, until the whole mountain is within his range. It's too much, especially when he's already so wounded, but Law doesn't care. He pushes it as far as it will go and then pushes it even further. _This_ is power. _This_ is what Law has been training for. His hat appears above his hand and Law mashes it back onto his head, eyes meeting Smoker's. "Saving the life of a pirate. You must have really hated being in my debt, Smoker."

There's blood on Smoker's face, his own body bearing the scars of his fight with Vergo, what it cost him to get Law's heart. He meets Law's eyes squarely, glaring, that fucking cigar still crushes between his teeth and smoking away, even now with Smoker collapsed on the floor in a bloody heap. There will be no thanks between them, not for this. 

Kikoku's scabbard falls to the floor. Law raises his gaze, meeting Vergo's eyes. "It's over Vergo."

Vergo scoffs dismissively and shrugs his coat, his chest glistening with the strength of his haki. He throws the bamboo pipe from hand to hand lightly, playfully. "Don't you remember what happened the last time we fought?" Vergo says, eyes narrowing to slits. His tone is light, but there's a twisted fury in his eyes, rage simmering in every line of his face. "You can't cut through my haki."

"We'll see." Law says flatly, and attacks.

It's all over in an instant. Vergo's pipe swings, glistening with haki and the force of it enough to cut the air itself. It never reaches it's destination. A line forms across Vergo's midsection, tiny at first, then growing as the top half of his body slides away from the bottom, falling to the floor in pieces. Behind him the SAD manufacture room has been bisected, every single piece of machinery severed neatly in two, and for a single breathless instant Law can see light from the other side of the mountain, can feel the blizzard wind on his face as the air howls through the gap. Then it all comes crashing back down, the whole mountain shuddering and collapsing back down into itself after a single cut on Law's operating table.

There are rumbles in the distance, the already strained structure of the facility unable to handle the damage. It will all collapse on their heads, probably sooner rather than later. Law takes his time. He pauses, picking up Kikoku's scabbard, righting his hat when it threatens to slip from his head, and walks on. His footsteps echo as he approaches Vergo. Smoker has picked himself up off the floor and is glowering at the room at large. He scowls when Law approaches, then scowls even harder when Law bypasses him without a single word, heading straight for Vergo.

"This has been a long time coming." Law saws, pausing over him. Vergo glares up him, eyes hidden behind his shades but his features twisted into a furious glower. Law lines up Kikoku, tracing the point up Vergo's chest until it reaches the hollow of his throat and then stills, the tip of the blade just brushing his skin. Vergo doesn't flinch, staring Law squarely in the face and meeting his death fearlessly. If it were anyone else it might be enough to earn Law's respect, might be enough to earn him a merciful death. But it's not. 

"For Cora." Law says, and drives the blade home. Blood pours from Vergo's throat and he coughs, red dribbling from between his lips. Vergo's carotid artery has been severed. He will die slowly, painfully, knowing all the while that it was Law who finally killed him.

Law wipes the blood from his blade on Vergo's coat, staining the blinding white of his Vice-Admiral's coat, the golden bars on his shoulder smeared with blood. He turns away, walking on, and doesn't look back as Vergo gasps, drowning in his own blood. 

His hands shake. Law has been dreaming of Vergo's death for almost a decade, and now that its come it doesn't feel real. Vergo was always so strong, an outlier even in Doflamingo's twisted crew. Always untouchable. He'd taken Cora down like it was nothing, not a single glimmer of emotion in his eyes as he beat Cora to a bloody pulp. Law tightens his fingers around Kikoku until his knuckles go white. How things change.

"Alright. Let's go." Law says, pausing by Smoker. Smoker glares but doesn't say anything, leaving Vergo to his death without a word of protest. Smoker is many things, a decorated admiral and a big softie among them, but in that moment his face could be set in stone. Vergo killed his own men, Smoker's men, and that's something even Smoker won't forgive.

It hurts to walk, hurts even more to run, so Law compromises with a pained jog, leading Smoker through the winding corridors back to Zone R. Smoker's men are already gathered at the great metal doors, milling anxiously under Tashigi's concerned supervision. They perk up when they spot Smoker, whooping with glee and parting before them. Law makes short work of the controls, the shutters grinding and slowly sliding up after a bit of fidgeting with the buttons.

Smoker stares down the corridor, brows furrowed. "The gas is already in the facility. We won't make it there fast enough even if we run."

"Good thing we're not running then." Law says, pulling the lever that releases the rail carts. A grate on the other side of the room opens and out come trundling four great carts, each the size of a small boat and built to carry the SAD tankers back and forth. "Get your men on. Hurry."

Law spots something on the other side of the room and turns, yelling "Straw Hat! Did you get Caesar?!"

Straw Hat grins proudly and gives him a thumbs up, his clear satisfaction at having won only somewhat diminished by the fact that Caesar is nowhere to be seen. "Where is he?" Law demands, glancing quickly over the Marines in case Straw Hat happened to hand the prisoner off to one of them in a fit of madness. Sure enough they don't have him either.

"Ah." Straw Hat says, unconcerned, waving vaguely down the corridor. "Over there somewhere. I sorta broke the door and he went flying. I wonder how far he went?" He turns to stare down the corridor, squinting as if trying to make out their lost hostage. 

Why? Just. _Why?_ "You were supposed to kidnap him!" Law says, just barely resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands and scream. Why did he agree to this alliance? What possibly possessed him to ever think this would be a good idea? God, Law must have been mad. 

Straw Hat scowls, wrinkling his nose as Law as if he can't understand why Law is making such as fuss. "I got tired of looking at his face. Why does it matter?"

"Because we're _kidnapping_ him! You can't kidnap someone if you don't have them!" Law snaps, rubbing his hands roughly over his face. Everything aches, the pounding pain in his skull only growing sharper. Law lets out a frustrated breath. "Okay. Fine. Whatever. _I'll_ go get him. Just get in the fucking cart, alright?"

"Nah." Straw Hat says. "My friends aren't all here yet. We've got to wait."

For a long second Law just looks at him, expression utterly flat. "Look-" Law starts pinches the bridge of his nose, then stops, giving up. At this point it's just easier to go get Caesar himself and just let Straw Hat do... whatever the fuck Straw Hat is doing. Law turns away, washing his hands of the whole mess, and limps off down the corridor to find Caesar. 

Sure enough Law finds Caesar slumped unconscious on the floor almost two dozen meters down the corridor, his face a mess of bloody bruises. Law doesn't bother waking him up, just seizes the back of his collar and drags him back down the hall, dragging him on the floor behind him. He dumps him in one of the carts, drawing wary looks from the nearby Marines. Law ignores them, turning instead to glower at Straw Hat, who, surprise surprise, is still staring down the hall, waiting for the rest of his crew to appear.

The Marines watch in growing agitation as the main doors slowly sliding shut, the alarms blaring ever louder. In the distance the first plumes of the fog can be seen, roiling along the ceiling of the passage and creeping ever closer, and yet Straw Hat still refuses to board the cart, watching the passage intently. Law should be shouting right now, should be insisting they go, stragglers be damned, but for once he just sits back and let things run their course. The SAD manufacture room has been destroyed, Vergo is dead or as good as, and he can count at least three separate broken bones in his chest. Let someone else do the worrying for once. 

There's a shouting in the distance and a moment later the remaining Straw Hats burst through the doors, running full tilt and accompanied by two dozen facility guards carrying an unconscious gigantified child. Law can't bring himself to even be surprised. Straw Hat bursts into action, grinning and leaping up onto the cart. "Quick! Let's run away! Get on the cart!"

There's a mad scramble to get everyone onto the carts, the Marines leaning over to help haul up the children, shouting orders back and forth and sending increasingly anxious looks at the gas creeping ever loser down the hall. Law sits back and watches it happen, one hand cradled against his aching ribs. At this point he doesn't think he could stand up if he wanted to. The carts screeching to life, the Marine's taking the controls, and it's a matter of moments before all four carts are hurtling down the tunnel, facility disappearing behind them at break neck speed. 

An explosion rocks the facility as just as they pull away and it takes a joint effort between Law, the Marines and the Straw Hats to keep carts moving despite the falling debris. The tunnel collapses behind them, a deafening rumble their ears as the mountain reclaims the space stolen by the laboratory. Law collapses back against the side of the cart, spitting out another mouthful of blood. The clouds of dust are thick and choking, leaving them coughing and blind until the tunnel finally falls away, the sea winds quickly whisking away the dust and leaving them standing on the shore, snow glittering in the sunlight around them. Punk Hazard has never looked so beautiful.

There's some sort of fight going on, explosions ringing in the air, the wind thick with the scent of gunpowder and its only as the clouds of smoke dissipates, blown away by the wind, that Law realizes who's fighting. Buffalo and Baby 5 take a single glance at the gathered Marine and pirate forces and high tail it in the other direction.

"Oh no you don't!" Thieving Cat Nami snaps, bringing down her climate baton in a sharp arc and summoning a crackling storm of lightning that strikes Buffalo and Baby 5 from the sky. Law watches his old enemies go tumbling into the sea, once so grand and now defeated in an instant, and makes a tired noise, scrubbing a hand across his face. Honestly, at this point he's not sure whether the Straw Hats are a blessing or a curse. 


	4. ultimatums

Law is tired. 

His ribs ache sharply with every breath, his heart a raw pain in his chest, and he's about one gentle bump short of collapsing completely. His head pounds so sharp and hard that Law can't tell if its a concussion from Vergo's attacks, his migraine finally catching up with him, or some awful combination of the two. He wants to drink a bucket full of coffee and collapse in bed.

Instead he hauls himself over to the tanker's infirmary and gets to work. There's not much Law can do for the kids except rid their system of the worst of Caesar's stimulants, and that's a meager effort. The long term damage has already been done. He can't do anything about the gigantification process, doesn't know anything about it and couldn't do anything even if he did. That sort of body modification is extremely complex. Its nothing Law can fix in a pirate infirmary, even with the Ope-Ope fruit. Still, Law does what he can. He clears the accumulated drugs from their bodies, cleanses the poison from their bloodstream, and when he's done he puts them all back together good as new.

One girl has it worse than the rest, a half-digested mess of poison in her belly, and it takes almost an hour to clear it from her system completely. The overdose had put her system into shock and several of her organs had been on the verge of failing by the time she was delivered to his care. Likely the only thing that has stopped her from dying hours ago was the raccoon's swift reaction, putting her on medication to slow the effect so of the overdose until it could be dealt with safely.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Shizuyo asks, peering at Law from within the huddled mass of his blankets. "Is Mocha gonna be okay?"

Law could could sugar coat it, but he doesn't. Lying never helped anyone, and even the kid's aren't stupid enough to believe it'll all just be fine. "Who knows." Law says, raising a cigarette to his lips. He wont light it, but at this point even just the taste is a comfort. "She's sick, you all are, but if you get help from some proper doctors you might be okay."

Shizuyo nods solemnly, and for a second Law thinks he's going to make a clean escape. Then her face crumples, Law watching in muted horror as fat tears spill down her cheeks. Once one starts cry the rest follow suit, and soon the lot of them are bawling, clutching at each other and rubbing their snotty faces all over the blankets. One of them reaches for him and Law bails before they can get any ideas, quickly sweeping towards the door.

"Wait!" Shizuyo hiccups, hopping off the bed and scuttling after him. Law doesn't know why he pauses - except, maybe he owes her this, just this once. He'd written her off, written them all off back in that cave. Without the raccoon's intervention Law would probably have left them all to die. Law is cold-hearted bastard, but even he can't escape this without feeling a little guilty.

"What?" Law asks shortly, holding himself tensely at the door. It takes physical restraint not to activate his _Room_ and disappear onto the deck, leave someone else to deal with this. Law doesn't. He stares into her grimy little face and waits.

"We're- We're gonna go home right? Chopper said. He said they would take us home. He _promised._ " She says between aborted sobs, before sniffling loudly and rubbing her face on the hem of her sleeve. Law tenses. He knows the raccoon is sentimental, but he's a doctor. He should know better than to make promises he can't keep. "He's telling the truth right? We're really going to go home?"

Law opens his mouth, the truth on the tip of his tongue. There are very few doctors of who have the level of expertise that would be able to deal with this case, and even fewer who know enough about giantification to attempt to reverse the process without leaving them all dead. The chances they'd end up with one of those doctors are infinitesimal, and there's very little certainty that the children won't simply vanish into another research program the moment the World Government gets word of them. Kids like there are just more numbers on a page to them, failed results that never see the light of day.

They're all staring at him, waiting, and for the first time Law can't bring himself to tell the truth. "Yeah." Law says instead, so fucking _weak._ It's cruel to give them false hope, but for once he gives in. "He's telling the truth. They'll keep you for a little while, but once you're better they'll send you all home. They have to. You're going to be the world's best doctor remember?"

Shizuyo lights up, nodding quickly. Law feels like the scum of the earth. He turns, eager to leave and put this all behind them. He needs a drink. Anything to forget these poor doomed _hopeful_ children. God help him. God help _them._

"Doctor Trafalgar!" Shizuyo says, and Law pauses at the door, hands clenched in his pockets. He doesn't look back. Can't look back. "Thanks for saving us. You're a good guy."

_I'm not. I'm really not. You don't know what I am, what I've done-_ Law clenches his teeth, nodding silently, and leaves before he can tell anymore lies.

The raccoon stares at Law suspiciously when he finally leaves the infirmary but Law is too tired to give a shit. He thought he was exhausted before but now he somehow feels even worse. He's wrung out, fraying at the edges, but his work isn't done. He leans on the rail of the ship, looking over the docks, and somehow isn't surprised that in the meantime the Straw Hat's cook has somehow managed to scrounge up enough ingredients to cook up a massive pot of broth.

He scans the crowd, stilling when he spots Tashigi on the lower deck of the tanker, talking with some of her men. Law makes a bee-line for her, trying to escape the furious feeling of helplessness that followed him out of the infirmary, schooling his expression to cold neutrality. From the way the Tashigi's men go silent as approaches he doesn't manage it. They flinch, unable to meet his gaze, and Tashigi whirls around, already glaring.

"A word." Law bites out. His tone is too sharp, provocative, but Law can't bring himself to gentle it. He's all too aware that the World Government must have sanctioned Caesar's twisted experiments, turning a blind eye to the horrors he committed on Punk Hazard. The very same World Government that signs Tashigi and her precious Marine's paychecks.

The Marines are by their very nature corrupt, little more than the private militia of a world power indifferent to the people it crushed under its boot, but Tashigi seems a soft sort. She'd been genuinely distressed at the fate of her men, her face twisting in confused horror when she learned what had been done to the children. If given the chance, Law thinks she'll do her genuine best to see the children to safety. Whether she's successful is another matter entirely.

She stares at him for a moment, expression frosty, but eventually nods, dismissing her men. They leave reluctantly, but eventually its just the two of them standing on the upper deck. The wind howling around them, tearing at their skin with cold fingers, and Tashigi's expression is equally frigid. "Yes?" She asks tersely, pushing her glasses more firmly up her nose.

"Doctor Vegapunk is the only one who'd be able to successfully reverse the giantification." Law says bluntly. "And the only one who'd actually do it, instead of just dissecting them to further his own research-"

Tashigi draws back, eyes burning with anger, offended and righteous, so certain in her own goodness and the purity of her cause. As if it wasn't the same righteous belief that had let the Marines do what they did at Flevance, at Ohara, and then pat themselves on the back and go home without thinking about it twice. "Trafalgar, I know you don't like the Marines but-" 

"Shut up." Law snaps, eyes wild and furious, the last fragile treads of his patience snapping. "I don't care. I don't care if you _know_ that the Government is good. That they wouldn't do this. But they would. And they did. The proof of it is sitting in the fucking infirmary. So shut up for one second and _listen to me._ "

That silences her. Tashigi glowers, but she hold's her tongue, jaw clenched tightly. She listens, and that's all Law can really hope for. He couldn't save the kids back in that cave, could do little more than extend their lifespan for a few months back in the infirmary, but he can do this. Tashigi might not listen, the World Government might swoop in and sweep the kids under the rug, but fuck it if Law isn't at least going to try. He owes them that much at least.

"If you care about the fate of those kids at all, you'll take them straight to Doctor Vegapunk and you won't leave until you've heard from his own fucking lips that he'll treat them. Otherwise you might as well just slit their throats now and spare them the suffering. Understand?" Law says, his voice cold and blank. He walks a fine line between ruthless apathy and all consuming fury and at this point he doesn't have the energy for either. Tashigi doesn't say anything but Law nods anyway, already turning. "Good chat."

Law leaves her standing there, glad for the narrow walkway down off the tanker. If he hand to jump down he didn't think he'd be able to get back to his feet afterwards, and Law can't afford to be so weak in front of the current company. If the Marine's smell blood in the water they'll take him into custody, tentative cease-fire or not, and Law can't afford to show weakness in front of the Straw Hats, not when their alliance was still so new and tenuous. He's painfully aware of how much they outnumber him. One or two he might be able to take, but not more than that, not when his fight with Vergo has left him so wounded. If their alliance turns sour, Law doesn't stand a chance. 

Law steps off the ramp and stops, taking a moment to just breath, trying to muster some energy. He's so fucking tired. An empty crate nearby sings to him, promising a moments rest, but Law keeps his eyes set squarely forwards. If he sits down now he wont get up, he can feel it in his bones. Not yet. He can't afford to rest yet. 

Law spots Straw Hat amongst the crowd, standing over by the samurai and a young boy, and makes his way over. "We need to leave soon." Law tells Straw Hat. The samurai glares at him, putting himself firmly between Law and the boy. Law ignores him. "The Joker will have sent people to investigate, and this place will soon be swarming with Marines as well."

"Yeah, sure!" Straw Hat agrees, nodding whole-heartedly, but when Law turns around ten minutes later the impromptu meal has somehow devolved into a full blown party, Marines and facility guards alike cheering as they guzzle hot soup and rum. And there, at the center of it all is Straw Hat, holding a tankard up with the rest of them and downing it in one go, already reaching for more food. Law makes a frustrated noise, stunned silent. For a moment he gives serious through to heading over to Straw Hat and shaking him by the shoulders and impressing into his soft skull the list of reasons why lingering is colossally idiotic idea, not least the fact that Doflamingo himself is no doubt bearing down on them as they speak but-

He lets out a defeated sigh and scrubs a hand over his face, wondering why he even bothers trying. It's not like Straw Hat will listen to him anyway.

Instead Law turns around and goes and finds somewhere to sit down, finally giving into a the aching pain that's been trying to drag him off his feet since the moment he first stood up. He finds himself sitting on an empty crate at the outskirts of the party, a warm bowl of soup in one hand and a cup of rum sloshing in the other. Law tries not to let it show how much of sheer relief it is to just sit down and eat something. Smoker sits a few feet away, huffing his way through two cigars at once as he watches with something like fondness in his eyes as his men stagger about, arms linked, singing every dirty sea shanty that comes to mind. They came very close to dying today, each and every one of them, and its left everyone in a more forgiving mood, the Marines breaking bread and singing together, indifferent to the pirates in their midst. 

"Trafalgar." Smoker says. Law blinks, glancing over at him, and Smoker meets his gaze with a hard look, chewing on the end of his cigar. "I know you're planning something using Straw Hat. Whatever it is I will find out, and I will stop you."

Law makes an wry noise, tired and amused, and takes another sip of his soup. It's salty and hot, thick with spice and hearty chunks of sea-king meat that fall apart in his mouth. How Black Leg Sanji managed to pull together such fare on a desolate island in the aftermath of a battle, Law has no idea, but he appreciates the hell out of it. "I wonder..." Law says eventually, gazing at Straw Hat. He's linked arm and arm with the Marines, grinning and shouting at the top of his lungs along with some bawdy song, not a care in the world. "Who's really using who."

All Four Emperors, Straw Hat had said, and Law had thought he'd been joking. Now he's not so sure. Their alliance only covers Kaidou, nothing more, nothing less, but if how things went today is any indication then things will no doubt spiral out of control. It's a dangerous gambit, and probably one Law should wash his hands of now. But... The Straw Hat's know how to tip the boat and Law would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in seeing how this will all turned out.

"Why didn't you kill me? You've had plenty of chances" Smoker says finally, eyes narrowing at Law over the smoking tips of his cigars. Ah, the tireless suspicion of a Marine. Law had started to wonder if Smoker's sojourn without his heart had actually impacted his personality. Traumatic events can change a man, but Law supposes even having his heart ripped from his chest wouldn't be enough to stop Smoker from being such a complete hardass. 

"To what end?" Law asks, downing the last of his soup. It settles in his stomach, warm and heavy, spreading heat through his aching limbs. "You were useful." Law says, standing and brushing the snow from his coat. He sends a wry glance at Smoker, smirking when he finds him glaring back. "There's no deeper meaning than that."

"Ah." Law adds, pausing just as he's about to walk off. "We're planning on going to Green Bit after this. Do be sure not to tell anybody."

"Green Bit, huh?" Smoker growls, eyes narrowing. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Trafalgar. Whatever you're doing, you won't get away with it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Law replies blandly. He heads back into the crowd, dodging around singing drunks and bowls of soup being thrown about the place, sloshing and dripping as their owners stagger too and for. He barely makes it more than a dozen paces before Straw Hat spots him and swings an arm over his shoulder, grinning and shoving another tankard into his hand.

"Torao!" He cries, raising his cup. The crowd echo's him, Marines and pirates alike raising their glasses in Law's honor. "TORAO!!" Law scowls and just hopes that the Marines won't start mangling his name too. Straw Hat is alone bad enough.

" _Shishishi!_ Isn't this fun?" Straw Hat asks, dragging him through the crowd and dumping him by the fire near the rest of his crew. "I haven't been to a party in ages!"

"We were at a party days ago, Luffy. When we left Fishman Island, remember?" Nami says, bumping Straw Hat's shoulder fondly before going off to try and steal a drink from Roronoa. From what Law see's it doesn't appear terribly effective. Roronoa hoards his sake like a dragon hoards gold, and while Nami is a renowned thief, she doesn't appear to be trying awfully hard.

"Yes!" Straw Hat grins back, laughing. "That was a good party."

"Straw Hat-ya, we should go." Law reminds him. The food was good, the chance to sit down and rest for a while even better, but now Law is starting to grow tense, every minute they linger grating on his nerves like sandpaper. "If we want to leave today we need to catch the tide. There's only a few hours when the water isn't completely frozen or boiling hot-"

"Luffy."

Law blinks. "What?"

"Luffy. You should call me Luffy." Straw Hat says, his grin bright and careless. His arm is still wrapped around Law's shoulder, hooked around his neck, and Laws efforts to try and shrug it off don't seem to do much. "We're friends, right?"

"Allies." Law corrects, scowling.

"Yeah." Straw Hat agrees, only grinning wider. "But isn't it the same thing? I'm never allies with someone I'm not friends with."

Law lets out an exasperated breath, resisting the urge to drop his head into his hands. Straw Hat is an idiot, always has been, but Law is the fool trying to argue with him, so who's the joke really on in the end? "What about Smoker?" Law asks dryly, giving Straw Hat a flat look. "He was our ally in there too. Is he your friend?"

"Hmm." Straw Hat says, leaning back. He chews on the sound like it's something he can eat, drawing it out as he thinks. Even that simple thought seems to take an inordinate amount of time. His position puts part of his weight on Law's shoulder, but Straw Hat doesn't even seem to notice. Law tries to resist the urge to cut off his arm, just to get it off him. "Smoker's okay." Straw Hat decides cheerfully. "He's strong and he's not too mean. Plus he's really fun to fight!"

Law knows better than to try and untangle that convoluted mess of a statement. He learned a while ago that it's better to just disregard half of what Straw Hat says off the bat. Trying to take him seriously will just end up with Law sticking Kikoku through him. Law gives up, letting the conservation drop. "Straw Hat, we should really go."

"Alrighty." Straw Hat says easily, slapping Law heartily on the shoulder and springing to his feet. "OI! EVERYONE! WE'RE LEAVING NOW!"

The Straw Hats pack up in record time, waving goodbye to the kids as they climb back onto their lion-faced monstrosity of a ship. Tashigi watches him from the deck of the tanker, something like confusion in her eyes. She jerks up in a rough nod when she spots him looking - not an agreement, but something close to it, and Law feels something loosen in his chest. Tashigi will look after the kids. It's a greater relief than it should be, and Law puts the thought from his mind before he can give into any more blundering sentimentality. 

Law turns towards the Thousand sunny, then pauses, glancing over at Buffalo and Baby 5, an idea coming to mind. His smile is downright malicious. "Hey, Smoker!" He calls. "Lend me the tanker's life raft."

* * *

Law waits just long enough to be sure Punk Hazard is well and truly behind them before finding the first horizontal surface he can away from prying eyes and crashing. He sleeps for thirteen hours, and only gets up when the angry babble of a denden-mushi begins to drift up from his bag. He doesn't have to guess who's calling.

_"You killed Vergo."_

Law doesn't deny it. "I wonder what Kaidou will think when you can't make the next delivery? And Caesar lost too, how unfortunate. What will you do without him?" He asks instead, letting it hang in the air. An entire ocean between them, and yet just just the sound of Doflamingo's voice is enough to send a chill down his spine. He feels like a kid again, squabbling with Buffalo and Baby 5 while Doflamingo and the rest of his officers _(and Cora, still alive, still silent and mute and destined to die a traitors death)_ watch on indulgently. He puts the thought aside. The trap has been set, and now its time to advance to the second stage of the plan.

The denden-mushi narrows it eyes at him. _"Don't play with me, Law. You won't like it when I'm angry. What are your terms?"_

Law hums, pretending to consider it. "Resign." He says flatly, voice hard and utterly relentless "Quit the Shichibukai and give up the throne - become a simple pirate once more. You have until tomorrow morning to make up your mind."

_"Law-"_

"I'll see your answer in the paper." Law gets immense satisfaction from hanging up on Doflamingo. He puts the denden-mushi away, returns Kikoku to its usual spot on his shoulder, and goes to find some coffee. Straw Hat meets him on the lawn, greeting him with a familiar grin as he leaps down from the upper deck. "Hey Torao, who were you talking to?"

"An old enemy." Law says, leaning against the railing and enjoying the sea breeze and the feeling of his heart beating in his chest. Not too hot, not too cold - just the salty spray of the ocean and the rustle of the wind in the sails. Perfect.

" _Shishishi!_ Those are the best kind of enemies!" Straw Hat says, springing to his feet. "Come on, I'll show you the ship!"

* * *

The day passes in a haze of sleep and hours spent watching the horizon, half certain that at any moment he's going to see sails appear, Doflamingo's fleet coming upon them to reclaim Caesar. Every inch of Law's body aches, bruises blossoming on his skin like flowers in spring - all deep purples and mottled greens. The sleep helps numb the pain a bit, but barely. Law sleeps in intermittent bursts, exhaustion and pain enough to knock him out for hours at a time, only for the minutest shift to startled him awake once more as cracked ribs make themselves known. 

He wakes a little after four am, the raw ache in his chest giving way to a low-level grinding pain that refuses to let him back to sleep without some form of morphine. Law drags himself to the showers instead, finally cleaning the tacky blood from his skin. The water beats down heavy on his shoulders, hot and stinging, and Law lets his head fall forward against the cool tiles, eyes closed, letting it flow over him. At the end of the shower he aches no less, but the warm flush of his skin from the heat is enough to make him feel almost human. The infirmary is empty this late at night, the Straw Hats all safely ensconced in their own quarters, and Law makes us of it to palm a handful of painkillers, taking just what he needs to tide him over for a day or two. 

He washes it down with a long gulp of sake, the bottle stolen from the Straw Hat's pantry. It burns on the way down, bitter and too strong, trash quality, but at least that means the Straw Hats probably won't miss it. There's no one on deck, the ship quiet and still save for the lapping of the waves against the hull, moonlight pale and glowing on the crest of every wave. Law leans against the rail and takes another sip, holding the bottle out over the water. 

"One down." He says, staring out over the water. There are clouds on the horizon, almost invisible in the gloom, but the moon is just bright enough to cast the vapor in contorted shapes. Night specters, Cora used to call them, saying they were the souls of the dead waiting to pass on. A lie of course, and not even a particularly good one. Law's seen far too many people die to believe in souls. In the end everyone is just meat, from brothel girls to emperors - just so much flesh, powered by the ephemeral trickery of electricity, nerves and neurons and electrical impulses. Once those are gone, there's nothing left but a rotting carcass. 

There's nothing waiting after death. Law knows this, and yet he still stares over the waves. Cora will never hear his voice, and yet Law speaks to him anyway, raising the bottle of sake in his honor. "One to go. I'll get there, Cora. I promise."

He overturns the bottle, letting what's let of the sake pour down into the ocean. It's a shitty grave offering, as far as things go - stolen sake tossed over the side of a ship, but then it's not like Cora has a grave to leave it at anyway. Neither of them were religious men, but Law thinks that Cora wouldn't mind this, wouldn't mind Law giving him one last offering, even shitty as it is. 

One more day, and then they will arrive at Dressrosa, and then everything that Law has been planning will finally come to fruition. He probably won't survive it, but that doesn't matter. Whether Doflamingo renounces his title or not, it doesn't matter. Either the World Government will declare him their enemy and everything he has built will be torn down, or Kaidou will destroy him for renegading on their deal - Law wins either way. No doubt Doflamingo is already planning something, looking for a way to slip the net, but Law wont let him. Even if he has to break every bone in his body to make it happen, Dolfamingo is going down. 

* * *

There are many reasons Law doesn't sleep, and Flevance is one of them. 

Sometimes, once in a blue moon, he'll dream of his family. Just his family, back in those happy days before Amber Lead Syndrome and the culling. Not tonight though. Tonight he dreams of the days after, of wandering the burning streets, stepping over bodies piled knee high as he goes from house to house, searching for food, only to return empty handed. Remembering the way every time he stepped outside the bodies start to look more and more tempting.

He remembers the gnawing aching hunger in his belly, the day when it had finally gotten so bad he'd stopped feeling it, growing thinner and thinner, the pale splotches on his skin larger and larger. _I need to get out._ He'd think, again and again and again, prowling through the ruined streets, feet run ragged and bloody on the ruins of what had once been a prosperous city, fighting for scraps of food with packs of stray dogs. _I need to get out. I need to get out._

And then, the bodies. He'd never stooped to eating one but it had been close, so close. In the end it had only been crawling into a pile of the dead and lying there for hours that had kept him from it, clammy flesh pressed against his face, the stench of death in every breath, waiting and listening as the soldiers got closer and closer. They'd thrown him in the cart with the rest of the bodies, hadn't even looked at his face, already moving on to the next. The first human touch he'd felt in months, and it was followed by them throwing another body on top of him and wheeling them away to be burned.

Law opens his eyes slowly, staring up at the leaves of the orange trees planted on the deck, and wonders grimly whether he'd soon be joining those corpses. Punk Hazard had been a gamble, one Law had been well aware might not pan out. His chances hadn't been good to begin with and had gotten significantly worse once Caesar gained possession of his heart, and without the Straw Hats and Marines intervention the odds that he'd successfully destroy the refinery and escape with his life had been meager at best.

_Come back,_ Bepo had said, and Law means to, he truly does, but he has no illusions about their odds against Doflamingo. Law sighs, banishing the thought from his mind. What will come will come. Law will deal with things as they become relevant. He lies there for another or two, unable to sleep but too exhausted to move, and the only thing that marks it different from any other night is the broken ache of his body, abused and not yet given the chance to recover. When the first haze of dawn starts to appear on the horizon Law gives up sleeping and stands. He rubs roughly at his face, wincing at the stinging of the bruises and the cut on his temple, and resolutely doesn't think of the gleaming steel of the Birdcage cutting through the sky.

Coffee. He needs coffee.

Black Leg Sanji is the only one up when Law wanders into the mess, and why he's even up at such an ungodly hour of the morning Law doesn't know. He'd disappeared fairly early on last night - around the same time as Roronoa, Law noticed, but he doesn't say anything about it.

"Breakfast?" Black Leg asks, glancing up at from where he's kneading bread.

"Coffee." Law replies, voice still grizzly from sleep. His hair must look a fright - it always does when he sleeps with his hat on. His face too, come to think of it. By now the bruises would have come in in full force, and even with Law actively accelerating his metabolic processes and cellular activity he still won't be rid of them for at least another few days. Better than weeks, at least.

Black Leg jerks his head towards the coffee maker, grabbing another handful of flour as he keeps kneading. "Just don't make a mess."

Law scrounges around in the cupboards until he finds the bag of coffee beans, then watches blearily as the grinder screeches. He puts a spoonful in the machine, stares at the small pile of dark power, and then adds a second and third spoonful for good measure. The coffee, when it's finished dripping, is sinfully dark and scalding hot. He sips until the coffee's cooled down enough, then downs it and makes another cup.

He's holding a fresh cup by the time most of the Straw Hat's wander in. Nico Robin is in pristine condition, her face fresh despite the long night of drinking, wearing a smart set of loose trousers and a matching blouse. Nami looks slightly worse for wear, grimacing and rubbing at her temples whenever someone yells. The others have given up any attempt at looking respectable, not that they'd been trying much to begin with, and have wandered in wearing what Law assumes are their pajamas. For Straw Hat that means the exact same clothes he'd been wearing yesterday, while the raccoon is wearing a tiny pair of fluffy flannel pants. Law ignores them all.

A kinder man might share his coffee. Law finishes his cup and refills it with the last of the pot, ignoring the positively malevolent look Nami sends in his direction. She doesn't have to suffer for long. Black Leg swoops in a moment later, spiriting the pot away and setting it to brew before she can voice a single complaint. Law doesn't say a word, taking another slow sip of his coffee.

"That doesn't look like a balanced breakfast." Chopper says disapprovingly, casting an eye over Law's side of the table. Law just stares back. He hadn't been aware that he'd even started breakfast.

"Don't you start." Black Leg says, returning will a bowl of fruit and a loaf of fresh bread. "That's his fourth cup this morning."

"What?" Chopper turns to Law with a betrayed look, his little face crinkled in confusion, noise twitching. In that moment he reminds Law far too much of Bepo and Law has to look away or risk a smile creeping onto his face. "But you're a doctor! You know how bad too much caffeine can be! It can cause heightened anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, raised blood pressure-"

Law stares back at him and slowly, deliberately, takes another sip of his coffee. "I'm aware."

Chopper opens his mouth, presumably to start another lecture, only to be cut short when Black Leg dumps a bowl of salad in front of him. The next few minutes are spent gleefully chowing down on anything leafy and green Black Leg throws in his direction, but he still shoots Law disappointed looks every now and then.

"Now." Black Leg says, looming over Law. His expression say in no uncertain terms that refusing is not an option. "What are you going to eat?"

Law looks at the gathered spread - the bread and fruit and delicate spreads, bowl of steaming rice and steamed fish, and reaches for a bowl. He won't be hungry for another hour at least, never is until he's been up and about for a couple of hours, but it's not worth starting a fight with Black Leg about.

_DOFLAMINGO'S SUDDEN RESIGNATION!_ The front page of the news read. Law keeps the paper just longer enough to skim the article before throwing it down onto the table and wandering out of the mess.

It's always so nice when everything just falls into place.

* * *

_"We saw the newspaper."_ Bepo says. _"Doflamingo resigned. Your plan is working!"_

"Mm." Law agrees. He will never ever admit it, but fuck is it good to hear Bepo's voice. Three and a half months he'd been on Punk Hazard, unable to risk calling for fear of the signal getting jacked, and goddamn if Law hadn't started to miss his sorry mess of a crew. "I got some unexpected help on Punk Hazard. Tell the rest of the crew - we're in an alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates. They're coming with me to Dressrosa."

_"An alliance?"_ Bepo asks, sounding genuinely startled. The denden-mushi makes a shocked face and everything. _"That's great news! Good job!"_

"Don't sound so patronizing." Law says, scowling at it.

_"Sorry captain. Do you want me to give you an update on the ship? We made it to Zou. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi said that we could stay, so we've helping out around the place, doing odd jobs. There was almost an incident when Ikkaku seduced some mink ladies, but everything worked out okay. Oh, and-"_ There was a crash through the line and a sudden clamor of noise.

_"Hey, Bepo have you seen- Wait, who are you talking to? It that the cap'n? HEY GUYS, BEPO IS TALKING TO THE CAP'N!"_ And there's Ikkaku. _"Yo cap'n, what have you been up to? Bepo keeps thinking you're going to get yourself killed and goes off to cry in the corner-"_

_"I don't!"_ Bepo denies, tone dangerously close to whining.

_"Shut up. You do. Uni and Jean almost broke the air filter the other day trying to deep fry some chocolate and- Oh wait. Shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Oh well. Anyway, Clione threw a fit and threatened eject them out the air lock. Bepo's fur still stinks of burnt chocolate."_

Law smiles despite himself, leaning heavily against the table. "The _Tang_ still better fucking be there by the time I get back. We don't want a repeat of last time, do we?"

_"Nah, fuck that, man. I promise I'll keep the idiots in line, even Bepo-" "Hey!" "- just don't make me a guy again. I can't handle having dick. I mean, jacking off is pretty cool, but give me tits anyday-"_

_"Ikkaku!"_ Bepo snaps. There's moment of loud fumbling as he snatches the denden-mushi back. _"I don't want to hear about all your weird human sex things!"_

_"What about those minks from last week?"_ Ikkaku leers. _"They aren't human-"_

"Enough." Law cuts in, his voice too damned fond. He really has been away from his crew for too long if he's getting so damn soft about the idiots. "Don't do anything too stupid. I'll be back soon."

_"Your word is law, cap'n."_ Ikkaku replies gleefully. And, fuck, it's been a long time since Law had heard that one. So much for holding out hope that his crew would somehow develop an actual sense of humor in his absence. 

"Fuck off." Law grumbles, hanging up before Ikkaku can try get any more stupid puns in. He holds the denden-mushi for a moment, just basking in the memory of the conversation, and feels something like hope flickering in his chest. He want's to see them, wants to be back on the _Polar Tang_ like a heart wants blood.

The thought is a dangerous temptation. Taking on Doflamingo alone had always been a suicide mission but now with the Straw Hats maybe, _just maybe_ , Law might actually make it out of this alive. Law tilts his head back, leaning against the wall, and indulges in the feeling for a moment, then he collects up all that hope and stray sentiment and locks it down tightly.

Doflamingo has one foot in the trap but that just makes him more dangerous than ever, and Law can't afford to go into this without his eyes wide open. No, hope is better left for afterwards, once the battle is won.

* * *

The Straw Hats are all gathered in the mess for lunch when he finds them, crowded around the table and elbowing each other for room even as they squabble and steal food from each others plates. Black Leg appears from the kitchen with half a dozen plates in hand - pieces of sliced fruit, thick sandwiches bursting with meat and greens and dripping with sauce, and two plates of onigiri. The Straw Hat's descend upon it like starving animals - or most of them do anyway. Nico Robin smiles at him from across the room, nibbling at the edge of her sandwich and taking delicate sips of her tea, utterly unconcerned by the chaos around her. The rest don't even look up as Law skirts the chaos, snagging an onigiri on the way past and settling down at the far end of the table.

It's a free for all, people reaching across each other to grab at food from the far side of the table, stealing from each other plates as soon as they look away. When Law looks up the table has been wipe clear save for a single pot of green tea sitting peacefully in the center of the table. Law doesn't let himself be disappointed, satisfying himself with the fact he'd managed to snag a cup of coffee, only to blink in surprise when Black Leg swoops in once more, crossing his arms and glowering at Law. "You. Any dietary requirements?"

Law raises an eyebrow. He shakes his head. It's not like he'll be here long enough for it to make a difference. Black Leg nods and vanishes back into the kitchen, reappearing a moment later with more food, and from the way he hurries back into the kitchen again as soon as he's set them down, its not the last of it either. Law relaxes slightly, letting himself reaching for another onigiri, ignoring the knowing look Black Leg shoots him as he sets down a bowl of rice, this time right in front of Law.

Once the Straw Hat's have eaten their fill Straw Hat turns to him, still chewing on a pieces of salted jerky, and asks "So, what's the plan? What are we doing next?"

"Dressrosa." Law replies, downing the last of his coffee. "We're going to undermine Kaidou by taking out one of his suppliers. There's a factory there he uses to produce SMILE, artificial zone-type devil fruit. We're going to destroy it. His own forces will be weakened by the lack of additional zoan users, and hopefully further depleted in an attack against Doflamingo for failing to uphold the deal. After that... We make an attempt on Kaidou."

"Dressrosa?" The samurai asks, a long dragon coiled up on his lap. It blinks at Law with intelligent eyes, claws clinking on the table in front of it. Ah, a zoan type. Probably the child from earlier. "We need to go there too!" The samurai announces, slamming a hand down on the table. "Our companions is imprisoned there - we must rescue him!"

"We'll do that too!" Straw Hat grins, and Law bites back a sigh. He considers the options, weighs this new factor in his plans, and gives in. He wants to refuse on principle, but if this is what it takes to keep the Straw Hats on board then so fucking be it. With Caesar as bait they'll be able to draw Doflamingo and his forces out into Green Bit, tying them up where they can't interfere with the raid on the factory. For that he needs, two, maybe three people, leaving plenty to spare to destroy the factory. Let them go rescue the stray samurai, the more chaos in the capital the better their chances of success are. So long as the factory is destroyed Law couldn't care less what the rest of the Straw Hats spend their time doing.

Law inclines his head. "In the mean time, I'll set up a meeting with Doflamingo on Green Bit to trade back Caesar. While he and his men are distracted, a second team will sneak in a destroy the factory and-" He adds before either Straw Hat or the samurai can interrupt "- look for where they're keeping your friend. Finally, a third team will remain on the _Thousand Sunny_ to secure our escape. If all goes well it shouldn't take more the 4 hours."

_"Shishishi!_ This gonna be fun!" Straw Hat grins. "I'm going to punch Flamingo in the face!"

_"What?"_ Law snaps, glaring at Straw Hat. "It's Doflamingo - and you're not going to punch him in the face! The idea is to get in and out as quickly as possible, to avoid fighting him if we can help it."

"I got it!" Straw Hat says, waving his hand dismissively. "But if I see him I'm still going to fight him. _Just a little!_ " He adds quickly when Law glowers. "Really quickly! Then we can run away again!"

"Ah- Fuck it. Whatever. Okay, sure, fight him if you see him." Law says despairingly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But destroy the factory first. And for gods sake, don't let anyone know you're there until after we're at the meeting. If they get wind of it too early there'll be too much security around the factory."

"You know what is means?" Straw Hat says, slapping his hands together. He, the cyborg and the sniper trade gleeful looks. "Disguises!"

* * *

The call is short and to the point. _"It's me. I left the Shichibukai."_

"5 hours from now on the southeast beach of Green Bit. We'll leave Caesar there at 3pm."

_"Law-"_

"Feel free to pick him up." Law says and hangs up. 

* * *

Law contemplates the small chest, fingers drumming against the sides. He doesn't want to do this, the thought alone enough to make a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. The success of his whole plan hinges of having Caesar as a hostage, and using his heart is leverage that Law can't afford to pass up. Keeping Caesar's heart safe and secure is critical, and in the end there's only one way to ensure that it can't be taken from him. Law sighs, rubbing his face, and presses a hand to his chest. _"Mes."_

His heart pulses in his hand, warm and fluttering, and it takes a painful amount of restraint not to immediately push it back into his chest. Three months, that's how long Caesar had Law's heart in his possession, and every night he'd wake up clutching his chest and gasping at the empty aching inside. Even when he'd had it back he could still feel it, the phantom sensation of something missing inside. It looks too fragile in his hand, the marks of Vergo's fingers still visible on its surface, and looking at it now Law wonders how he ever managed to survive that fight. One strong squeeze, one prick of a knife, and Law would have been dead.

Law wraps his heart in soft fabric and places it in the box, the tiniest bit of tension easing from his shoulders when the lock clicks shut. He breaths out harshly, scolding himself. A couple of hours, maybe a day, then he'd be able to return it to his chest. Until then...

Nami's treasure hoard is one of the best guarded spots on the ship, but if things go wrong that's the first place someone's going to look for anything valuable. One small box can easily get lost in a mountain of treasure. No, better to hide it somewhere more innocuous.

The _Thousand Sunny's_ library doubles as a map and observation room. A curving set of wide window open up the back end of the room, bracketed by a long seat piled with cushions and cozy blankets. Law scans the titles as he goes, tracing a wandering path around the room until he finds what he's looking for - an empty spot on the shelf low to the ground. He tucks the chest in the gap, pushing it right back to the wall, and stands, making a satisfied noise when the box isn't visible at first glance. If the worst happens the box should escape notice long enough for Law to find a way to steal in and retrieve it. Law shoots the chest one last glance and leaves the library, the hollow ache in his chest only growing with every step he takes.

_"-ssrosa~! Dressrosa~! Dressy dressy dressy rosa~!"_ Straw Hat comes bounding down the corridor, already sporting a long white beard, and pauses when he sees Law. "Torao, whatcha up to?"

"Preparing contingencies." Law says blandly. He gives Straw Hat a sideways look, suspicious. "Why?"

" _Shishishi!_ No reason!" Straw Hat grins, falling into step beside him. "Hey, hey, what happened to that bear? He's still on your crew right?"

"Bepo?" Law blinks. "Yes, he's my first mate."

"I wish I had a bear on my crew." Straw Hat says. He bursts out the door and onto the upper deck, immediately throwing himself onto the rail. In his enthusiasm he almost goes toppling off his perch and has to jerk sideways to keep from falling overboard entirely. Law rolls his eyes, following him at a more sedate pace. "Did you hear that Chopper? Torao's crew has a bear! Isn't that cool?"

"What?" A tiny voice calls from below. "Luffy, I can't hear you, you're too far away!"

"I SAID: TORAO'S FIRST MATE IS A BEAR! ISN'T THAT COOL!" Straw Hat bellows, leaning over the rail. Law winces faintly, rubbing at his temples. A door slams open below, a tiny figure rushing out. And of course the raccoon shouts back just as loudly despite being literally _on the deck, right in front of them_. "A BEAR! WOW! THAT'S REALLY COOL!"

"I KNOW RIGHT?" Straw Hat yells, and why, _why_ , are they still yelling? Straw Hat's help was indispensable on Punk Hazard, will be critical once they get to Dressrosa, but all of this is starting to make Law seriously question his decision to work with them. Why do they need to shout so _much_? 

"-orao! Toaro!" Straw Hat's talking to him again, or talking at him. Law hoists Kikoku higher on his shoulder and turns back to him, scowling. _"Yes?"_

"I can see land." Straw Hat says, pointing over Law's shoulder. Law turns, fingers tightening on Kikoku's hilt, dread and anticipation warring in his guts.

They've arrived at Dressrosa.


	5. taken by storm

The bridge from Dressrosa to Green Bit is a monstrous creation of iron that stretches four meters high, heading straight off the shore for such a distance that it's end its lost from sight in the rolling sea mist. The road in front of it is littered with keep out signs and barricades, rubble scattered across the steps where parts of the bridge have fallen into disrepair and been left to weather.

"You guys are crazy if you're planning on going to Green Bit." The waiter says, serving tray tucked under one arm and temporarily forgotten as he shares the local gossip. "Nobody goes there. Don't even know why they have that bridge, to be honest. The fighting fish'll attack anything that goes near, and the island itself is said to be pretty strange. Now, are you gonna order anything?"

"Another espresso." Law says, passing the man a few Beli. "Strong as you'll make it."

"Ha, a tough customer. I'll do my best. Anything else?" He asks, casting an eye over the rest of the table. Nico Robin shakes her head gently, the sniper following suit. Caesar lights up, opening his mouth to order, only to wither when Law shoots him a glare from across the table. "I'll just say this-" The waiter says, pausing as he goes. "I don't know what sort of adventurers you guys are, but I wouldn't go to Green Bit if someone paid me a fortune."

As soon as the man is gone Usopp shoots them a panicked look and leans over, hissing "Did you hear? We should change the meeting location. Green Bit sounds _insane!_ "

"No." Law says flatly, pushing up his glasses and resisting the urge to scratch at his false mustache. The damn thing is itchy as all hell. "We continue as planned. Everything hinges on us meeting the Joker at Green Bit."

"But-" Usopp starts, only for Nico Robin to gesture him silent, pressing a finger to her lips and tugging her hat down low over her face. They all fall silent. Law slouches back, taking a slow sip of his coffee, and let his eyes wander like he's just admiring the scenery. A group of men in festival masks and long white cloaks wander down the street, walking in a silent mass, pedestrians stepping out of their way, averting their gaze. Nico Robin tracks their progress from the corner of her eye, letting out a small sigh of relief when they rounded the corner and vanish from sight.

"Who were they?" Usopp whispers. Caesar lean in eagerly and Law pins him with a glare, sending him slouching back in his seat, scowling furiously at Law.

"CP-0." Nico Robin answers quietly, taking a slow sip from her tea. There's a tension in her shoulders that wasn't there before and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why. The Straw Hat's attack on Enies Lobby two years ago had made the front page world wide, and at the center of it all had been Nico Robin and CP-9. "They're the top branch of the agency, in charge of CP-9 and all the rest. What are they doing here?"

"Could be because of Doflamingo's resignation." Law suggests, but he doubts it. Something feels off here, and if it were any other day Law might suggest delaying the plan a few days or calling it off entirely, but this is the Joker, Donquixote Doflamingo himself, and come hell or high water Law will see this through. There's no question that Doflamingo is planning something, merely what. Still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. "There's something wrong about the atmosphere. Their king just resigned and yet everyone is carrying on like nothing has changed. I don't like it."

"You think Doflamingo is planning something." Nico Robin says calmly, meeting his eyes across the table.

"You don't?" Law replies, taking a long sip of his coffee. Nico Robin gives him a smile, inclining her head, and sits back in her hair

In the distance the clocktower ring, its great bell striking twice. "Alright," Law says, downing the last of his coffee. "It's time to go."

"Are you sure there's not a better way across?" Usopp asks, nervously eyeing the bridge as they slip past the warning signs and climb the steps. The iron spikes of the bridge loom above them, mist already beginning to curl around their ankles, the end of the bridge just barely visible off in the distance.

"No." Law says, already walking onwards and hauling Caesar along behind him. Nico Robin follows without comment, eyeing the bridge with curiosity. Usopp hesitates at the barricades, but sucks it up and follows them onto the bridge when they show no sign of stopping.

"Its been rebuilt several times." Nico Robin says, pointing out the casting on the irons spikes. "The iron was only added later, reinforcing it. And look-" There are dents in the iron fencing, the bars bent inwards by some massive force, and not just once. Law can see at least a dozen different such dents, with even more emerging from the fog with each step forward.

"The fighting fish." Usopp whispers, swallowing nervously. Caesar shoots a paranoid look at the iron bars and edges closer to Law, only to step back again when Law shoots him a disgusted look and drums his fingers across Kikoku's hilt in warning. The first ten minutes pass in silence, with no sound to mark their passage save the quiet clatter of their footsteps and the slow sloshing of the waves below, Dressrosa slowly fading into the mist as the minutes pass. 

The attack comes with no warning - the water erupting as a dark shadow bursts forth, the iron bars of the fence shrieking and bending inwards, turn asunder by the massive force of the fighting fish's horns. The creature itself is a sight to behold, all gleaming black scales pulled taut over bulging muscle, almost twice the size of any land-bound bull. Usopp squeaks, scrambling backwards even as the fish thrashes, water streaming down its scales as it tries to dislodge itself 

Nico Robin just makes a curious noise, taking a step closer. "They're bigger than I thought." She muses, looking over the fish as it gasps, teeth gnashing, horns still caught in the twisted iron of the fencing. "I wonder if they have any relation to the sea kings..."

"I don't like this." Usopp says, shooting an anxious look at the churning water. More dark shadows appear beneath the surf, congregating. "Oh God, can we please go back, please-"

Usopp cuts himself off with a squeak as the rest of the school attacks, the waves exploding into a riot of churning, frothing water. Usopp scrambles back, scrabbling for his slingshot, and the first charging bull explodes, fire flaring across its dark scales as Usopp blasts it back with an incendiary round, already loading up another shot even as he dances back anxiously, crowding fearfully behind Nico Robin. She just raises a brow, slapping the next fish out of the air with one twist of a massive had. 

"Fuck, there _more_ of them-" Usopp cries as the first wave regroup, circling back to make another pass even as more shadows emerge thought the water, the school manifesting itself in force. "What do we do? _What do we do?_ I don't want to end up as fish food-"

"Caesar will take care of them." Law says sharply, much to the horror of Caesar, who rounds on him with a look of outrage, ready to argue. Law silence him with a glare, tightening his grip around Caesar's heart and watching him flinch. Law stares at him flatly. "You'll be happy to help. _Won't you?"_

_"Yes."_ Caesar bites out, his glare fit to kill. Law just smiles unpleasantly, turning to Usopp. 

"Unlock his shackles." Law orders. Usopp doesn't seem entirely convinced, but he nods and does as Law says. Vile creature that Caesar is, it must be said that he's earned his bounty. His gas is a force in its own right, and in combination with his biochemical research it makes for a lethal arsenal. The fighting fish feel the full brunt of it before they get off the bridge, and its enough to leave them reeling, falling back into the water with dazed eyes as Caesar's poisons take effect. And if it leaves Caesar flagging and exhausted by the time they reach Green Bit, then all the better. Better to give Caesar a reminder of his situation before Doflamingo arrives on the scene and Caesar gets any ideas.

Green Bit, when it finally appears through the mist, is a strange sight - little more than a slip of land drowning beneath the weight of its own tangled vegetation. A couple of palm trees dot the beach at the forests edge, but that's where all semblance of normality ends, the bulk of the forest itself made up of a twisted thatch of gargantuan briars, sporting colossal stems that spill out onto the beach, each as thick as a man is tall and bearing thorns that measure the length of Law's arm. Bluebells the size of small boats hang in the air high above them, poking out through mess of briars, and deeper in the forest Law can spot other patches of colour as monstrously sized flowers strain to escape the thicket, reaching for the sun.

The beach is littered with the debris a dozen different shipwrecks, with more still in the sea beyond, cracking and groaning as the waves throw the broken hulls together. Law scans the forest and almost smiles when he spots the dark shape half hidden amongst the trees. Smoker is a Marine through and through, it seems. Tipping him off had been a gamble, but it seems it'd paid off. He must have called Marine HQ the moment the _Thousand Sunny_ left port for them to set this up this quickly. 

"It's a Marine battleship." Nico Robin says, pulling out her binoculars for a better look. "Somehow it's ended up in the forest. The damage to the tree's looks new and..." She makes a thoughtful noise. "There are no tracks on the sand. This isn't just a shipwreck."

"No?" Law says, and something in his tone must give him away, because Nico Robin raises an eyebrow.

"This isn't a coincidence." She says. It's not a question.

"Such a shame isn't it? That the Marines happen to turn up on Green Bit just a day after Doflamingo's bounty is reinstated, when he's about to meet with another wanted criminal." Law says, nodding his head at Caesar. "Doflamingo's luck really has turned."

"You set this up!" Caesar snaps, glaring at Law furiously. "You're going to let them take us all while you slip away! Just because you're a Shichibukai-"

"Am I? Smoker will have reported me by now. The Marines are as much my enemy as they are yours." Law says, then turns to Nico Robin and Usopp. "Alright, we've got 15 minutes until the drop off. Head into the forest and find a spot overlooking the western beach. I'll handle the meeting. If things go bad I want you attack, but otherwise don't reveal yourselves."

Nico Robin gives him one last searching look, then nods, motioning for Usopp to follow her. They duck under the stem of one of the gigantic briars and disappear, the jungle swallowing them entirely. Law watches them go, a new tension crystalizing in his chest. All the pieces are beginning to fall into place. He's so close now. If things go wrong-

_They wont,_ Law tells himself, fingers tightening around Kikoku. _I won't allow them to. One way or another, Doflamingo will fall._

"Now what?" Caesar asks, watching Law anxiously. Law's eyes cut to him, expression cold and flinty, and Caesar flinches. 

"Now we figure out what your life is worth." Law says coldly, reaching for the seastone cuffs. "You'd better hope Doflamingo cares enough to come get you, because you won't be leaving this island otherwise."

* * *

Caesar is still whining when they step out onto the western beach, alternating between shooting resentful looks at the seastone cuffs and trying to bolt away into the forest when he thinks Law's not looking. You'd think he'd have learned after the first few attempts, but hope springs eternal apparently.

"- you'll get it when the Joker gets here!" Caesar spits as Law hauls him back once more. "You'll see! You don't know who you're dealing with!"

Caesar's heart beats wildly in Law's chest, still frantic from his last escape attempt. The feeling of it inside him leaves Law feeling vaguely nauseous, every beat a reminder of the vile thing, this foreign parasite that now sits inside him. A second heart beats calmly in his pocket, the slow tempo indicating its owner still hasn't woken up. And Law hopes this won't be necessary, he really does. But then when has he ever been that lucky?

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with." Law replies flatly, losing patience with Caesar's caterwauling and releasing him abruptly. Caesar stumbles, throwing off balance, and just manages to avoid tumbling face first into the sand. He curses, rounding on Law, but Law isn't paying attention, eyes searching the tree line, the edge of the horizon.

_2.50pm._ The rendezvous is about to start. 

Law's tightens his grip around Kikoku's hilt, white-knuckled, squeezing until he can no longer feel the trembling of his fingers. Fourteen years its been since that night on Swallow Island, and this will be the first time he's seen Doflamingo face to face since. Oh, he's seen him in the papers plenty, heard all the stories - even caught sight of him once during that whole shitshow at Marineford, catching the briefest glimpse of pink feathers amongst the chaos before Doflamingo vanished back into the fray.

Fourteen years Cora's been dead, and today Law will finally avenge him. Law will watch the light leave Doflamingo's eyes if its the last thing he ever does - and Law wonders if that should scare him, wonders if he should feel conflicted. Doflamingo is a monster, of that there is no doubt, but he's also the man that took Law and - not raised him, nothing quite so tender and loving as that - gave him purpose, gave him skills, who developed his abilities and put him on the path to being a doctor, showed him how to turn his rage into a weapon and aim it at the world.

For three years, Doflamingo and his crew were the closest thing Law had in the world to friends, to family, and yet-

_I'm going to kill you._ Law thinks, calmly, resolutely, and refuses to allow his hands to tremble any longer.

Fourteen years he's been waiting for this moment, and now that it's finally come Law almost doesn't know how to feel. He waits through the last minutes in silence. Kikoku is a familiar weight in his hand, Caesar's heart beating an unfamiliar tempo in his chest, the Marines watching on from the undergrowth, half hidden and waiting in ambush. Law is ready. Finally, he's ready. He has to be.

A black dot appears over the horizon, coming from the direction of Dressrosa, growing in sizes as the minutes pass. That shape, that shadow, slowly resolves itself into a man, long limbs coiled, spider-like, as he sweeps from string to string. 

Across the distance, Doflamingo's eyes lock onto his. Law meets his eyes, unflinching-

_("Where is it Roci? What did you do with it?" Doflamingo's voice is quiet, almost soft. Law has never heard him sound more furious. There's the soft click of a pistol being cocked, such a quiet, unassuming sound._

_"Marine Code 01746. Commander Donquixote Rocinan-" It's the last thing Cora ever says before the bullet blows a hole through his skull._

_The silence that followed had haunted Law's nightmares for years. And then Doflamingo had spoken. "What a pity." He'd said, tone almost bored, and Law will never forgive him for that. For sounding so fucking bored even as Cora's blood dripped from his fingers._ )

\- and watches as Doflamingo's grin widens, 

It's _2.58pm,_ two minutes until the rendezvous when Law's denden-mushi crackles to life. _"-afalgar! This is Sanji-"_

"Did you find the factory?" Law asks, keeping his eyes on the sky. A minute, maybe two, and Doflamingo will be upon him. 

_"Nevermind that!"_ Sanji shouts. _"It's a trap, you need to get out of there-"_

"What?" Law snaps, mind wheeling. Did Doflamingo position extra troops on Green Bit? He should have, he would have to be an idiot not to. Law even gave him the meeting point hours in advance to ensure it. But the presence of the Marines should take care of that. Doflamingo is no longer a Shichibukai - his bounty has been reinstated, open season for the Marines waiting in ambush. Is Doflamingo going to abandon Caesar? He couldn't, not with his deal with Kaidou-

_"Doflamingo never quit the warlords!"_ Sanji interrupts and Law's stomach drops. _What? How?_ No pirate, not even a Shichibukai, would be able to convince the World Government to print lies to futher their own agenda. If the World Government printed it then Dolfamingo must have resigned. There was no other option. _"The whole things is a set up, you need to get out of there now!"_

"It's too late for that! Let Nico Robin and the sniper know. Tell them to leave Green Bit and meet up with the _Thousand Sunny._ " Law replies grimly, and hangs up. Doflamingo touches down, expression twisted into a cruel grin. He laughs as the Marines emerge from the jungle in a wave following in the footsteps of Admiral Fujitora.

"I have to admit I'm impressed. You even got an Admiral to show up!" Doflamingo laughs, throwing his arms wide like this has all been one big joke. "And just after I've quit the Shichibukai. Well played Law, you've really got me now!"

"Enough joking." Law snaps, taking a firm hold of Caesar's shirt and yanking him back when he made to go to Doflamingo's side. "How did you do it? Even a Shichibukai shouldn't have this much influence over the World Government." The only person who would be capable of something so outragous was- "A Tenryuubito."

Admiral Fujitora's grim expression as good as confirms it. Law doesn't understand. If Doflamingo was a Tenryuubito why be a pirate at all? Why would he have a bounty on his head? He could go around slaughtering innocents left and right and the World Government wouldn't lift a single finger to stop him. But nothing else made sense. If this was true it changed everything - it was a gaping hole in all of Law's plans. _Or_ , Law corrects, drawing Kikoku and holding the blade to Caesar's neck, _almost all of them._ Tenryuubito or not, Kaidou would rain hell down upon anybody who broke a deal with him. So long as Law kept Caesar out of Doflamingo's reach then he'd won.

Doflamingo is still fucking _grinning_. As if he expects Law to just collapse now that the Tenryuubito have been mentioned. Law grits his teeth and silences himself before he can do something rash.

"It doesn't matter." Law says, his voice sounding not calm but at least collected. 90% of making plans work is just bullshitting your way through it when it inevitably goes to hell, and Law isn't finished yet. The finer points of his plans are in tatters, but he still has Caesar and the Straw Hats are still out there working to destroy the SMILE factory. Law can work with that. "The deal is off. You failed to uphold your end of the bargain, so Caesar will remain in our hands."

_"Our?"_ Fujitora asks, stepping forward, his cane running back and forth in the sand. There's something unsettling about staring into his empty white eyes, knowing that he can't see a thing but still wields powers strong enough to wipe out entire fleets. "Who is _'our'_?"

"Ah, the rising star! Admiral Fujitora himself!" Doflamingo laughs, turning to greet the Admiral. "They say you and Ryokugyu are demons incarnate. Perhaps we'll have the chance to witness it first hand?"

"I'm still just a newcomer to the Marines," Fujitora replies humbly, eyes blindly tracking the source of Doflamingo's voice. "So perhaps I don't know the full story or grasp the Shichibukai's... _peculiarities_. But, Caesar Clown calls _you_ the 'Joker'" Fujitora says, turning his face towards Doflamingo with unnerving accuracy.

"A childish nickname, perhaps?" He adds, words jovial but tone completely flat. The Joker is the most sought after weapons broker in the New World, guilty of double dealing in at least seven separate major wars - supplying both sides with weapons and fanning the flames even higher to increase the profits. Officially his identity is a mystery, but there is no doubt that every single person on the beach knows exactly who Fujitora is referring to.

Dolfamingo chuckles, shrugging. "Chasing rumors, Admiral? You should know better, especially without hard evidence to back up such a serious accusation. Now," Doflamingo grins, showing more teeth than a shark. "What about Law?"

"It is well within a Shichibukai's rights to gather subordinates, in which case there is no crime to punish." Fujitora begins, and Law actually finds himself surprised that he's still considered a Shichibukai at all. Surely Smoker would have reported him by now? Or, Law remembers, perhaps they never did manage to recover all those denden-mushi Law stole. Whatever the case, it gives him a little leeway. "However, the reports say that you've allied with the Straw Hats - which would be a direct breath of your vows as a Shichibukai. So, Trafalgar, which is it? Are the Straw Hats your subordinated or your allies?"

Law has only an instant to think. There are a thousand possibilities he could weigh, a dozen plans he could construct, but in the end it just comes down to this: Doflamingo killed Cora and Law will do whatever it takes, _whatever it fucking takes_ , to ensure he suffers for it. And right now that means keeping Doflamingo out of Dressrosa and away from the SMILE factory. Law stares straight into Fujitora's dead eyes, at the forty hardened Marines waiting for his answer with pistols in their hands, at Doflamingo and his fucking grin, and says: "The Straw Hats always have been and always will be my equals. They are my allies."

Doflamingo cackles, so fucking gleeful. "You never make things easy for yourself, do you Law?"

Fujitora nods, raising his cane. "I thought you might say that. Trafalgar Law, you're title as Shichibukai is henceforth revoked." He brings down his cane in an arc, ending with it pointing directly at Law. For a moment nothing happens, then there's a great roar from above. Law glances upwards and gapes.

"You've got to be fucking-" Law says, and doesn't get any further than that, because there's a fucking meteor hurtling down towards them, still flaming from its descent through the stratosphere and so big it almost blots out the afternoon sun. Law doesn't have time to think, just to react. _"Room!"_ He shouts, and swings Kikoku upwards with all his might.

The meteor splits down the middle, pieces falling to each side of him, and Law watches in awed horror as they fall around him, splitting into even smaller pieces as Doflamingo puts up his own defense. For a moment his world is made up entirely of dark stone, the blistering heat of the meteor scorching his skin. The force of the impact almost throws him from his feet, and it takes a furious moment of defending Haki to keep Law from being broken apart in the shockwave as he diverts the rest of the energy away from himself with a dizzying manipulation of his _Room,_ displacing the vibrations into the ground.

When the dust settles only Fujitora, Doflamingo and Law remain on the beach, if it can still be called that. The ground around them has collapsed, carved up by the impact of the meteor, water already beginning to tumble down into the chasm as the waves return in force. Law throws himself out of the way of a wave of slicing strings, for one moment caught in freefall. _Shambles_. He crashes to the ground at the edge of the forest, already running even as a fallen branch takes tumbles into the chasm in his place.

Something explodes behind him, punching the air from his lungs and throwing Law forward. He rolls out of it roughly, lunging to his feet and scrambling for his denden-mushi. It crackles faintly, no one picking up, and Law curses, throwing himself out of the way of another blow and dialing the number again. Doflamingo is hot on his heels, Fujitora not far behind, and the Marines have finally recovered enough from the shockwave to start taking pot shots at him through the forest. Law sprints for the next cover, only to curse and dive back again, the bark of the tree shattering into splinters where his head had been as half a dozen different bullets impact at once.

"C'mon. C'mon. C'mon." Law mutters, dialing Nami's number again one more time.

"Where are you going, Law?" Doflamingo calls, leaping through the air behind Law, his strings finding purchase everywhere and leaving a near-invisible mess of razor sharp strings strung up in his wake. "There's no where to run! Do you really want to play this game? You know how it will end- _Ah. There you are!"_

_"Shambles!"_ Law spits, disappearing just as Doflamingo slices his cover to ribbons. A string catches him in the side, leaving a line of weeping red across his ribs. The switch drops him in front of a group of Marines. Law spins, still clutching his side, and hits the first man in the face with the end of Kikoku's scabbard, severing the rest at the waist with a wide sweep of Kikoku. He leaves them groping to find their own parts and sprints on, redirecting the bullets that come flying after him with a wave of his hand. He slides down into a ditch and _shambles_ again, reappearing even deeper in the forest.

He presses himself back up against a tree, breathing hard and wiping away the blood threatening to drip into his eyes, and peeks around the corner. No sign of Doflamingo yet, but this wouldn't stop him long. Fujitora's men scattered through the forest have stopped him from using the full force of his power, but Doflamingo had no such reservations. Soon he'd get tired of playing hide and seek.

There's a crackling hiss as finally _finally_ the denden-mushi springs to life. _"- is this? We're in big trouble! You need to help-"_

_Fuck._ The _Thousand Sunny_ was supposed to be their escape route. If that had been compromised- Fuck it. They would have to pull through. "Forget about that!" Law snapped. "Listen to me you need to bring the ship to Green Bit right now-"

_"What!? Trafalgar we can't-"_

"Green Bit. _Get. Here._ " Law grinds out. "I'm leaving Caesar with you. Now _hurry_ -"

Law barely has the chance to block the next blow, Kikoku's screeching and throwing up sparks as it pushed back against the furious speed of Doflamingo's strings. The force of it throws him back, slamming him into trees with a gasp. The whole forest is collapsing around him, cut apart by Doflamingo's threads and tumbling down. Law lunges to the side, sweeping away the closest bits of debris with a furious _Takt_ , but it's no use. His cover is gone. There's no where left to tun.

"Who did you call?" Doflamingo asks, touching down amongst the wreckage. Law glares back, swallowing a hiss as he releases his side, his hand coming away bloody. He hauls himself to his feet, keeping both hands on Kikoku's hilt. It wouldn't do to let Doflamingo know he's weakened.

"No that it matters." Doflamingo grins, sweeping forward, his fingertips glimmering with waiting threads. He's always loved to gloat. "The Straw Hats won't be able to save you. They fell for the bait. Straw Hat will never leave the Colosseum, and the others have already been rounded up. Face it Law, your little alliance is dead."

Law wipes the blood from his forehead and raises Kikoku. Doflamingo just laughs, wiggling his fingers, and then the fight is back on, sparks flying as Law deflects Doflamingo's strings, dodging those he can and minimizing the damage of those he can't. He yanks Kikoku up, stopping short a thin glistening thread that had been sweeping straight towards towards his neck, and takes a cut on the back of his leg instead. He can't keep this up forever. Doflamingo's strings spread further with every passing minute, creating a web of razors through the forest around them even as he hassles Law with a storm of attacks.

"Finally stopped running?" Fujitora asks, stepping out of the forest, his cane hitting against the debris. They shudder, shaking gently as one by one the severed pieces of the forest rise into the air. Fujitora is finally in his element, Doflamingo's rampant destruction only providing him with more ammunition. Law sends a desperate look towards the horizon, but there's no sign of the _Thousand Sunny. "Shambl-"_

"Oh no you dont!" Doflamingo grins, clenching his hand. Law grunts, threads biting at his legs, more coming in the for the kill. The debris have reached their peak in the air, and all at once they come hurtling towards Law. Law has a split second to make a decision. He can't win this fight. Fujitora or Doflamingo alone would be a challenge, but together Law doesn't stand a chance. One way or another he's going to lose this fight - the only question is _how._

He puts up a good fight, twisting against the threads and slicing at Doflamingo's attack, blocking the worst of his strings and redirecting Fujitora's debris with a furious _takt_. He keeps it up until Kikoku is ripped from his hands, the sudden weight of it dragging him down and wrenching it from his grip. Law does his best, redirecting Doflamingo's strings in mid air and sending Fujitora's attacks flying back at him, but there's too many attacks, too many directions, and Law can't block them all.

Law goes down.

* * *

Doflamingo gloats. He stands above Law, tossing the heart back and forth in his hands, and gives them the whole sorry story. Because of course Law would never win. _Of course._ How could some pathetic pirate ever win against a Tenryuubito? Law measures his breaths, straining against the rock crushing his chest, and stares at the spots of blood on Doflamingo's feathered monstrosity of a coat. Was it his blood? Law wouldn't be surprised. Doflamingo didn't even seem to have noticed. But then, he was used to having blood on his hands.

"- my dear kind _stupid_ father. Such an optimist. Such a fucking _fool._ " Doflamingo sighs. Law wants to spit in his face. He couldn't care less about Doflamingo's sob story - except that it meant Cora had been a Tenryuubito too. But what did that matter? Cora was dead and gone. His sins couldn't come back to haunt him.

Fujitora twitches in his seat, head tilting towards the beach. Doflamingo scowls at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What is it?"

"I thought I heard thunder." Fujitora replies, turning his head in Doflamingo's direction. "How does the sky look?" 

"Never mind that!" Caesar cries, crowding closer. "Give me my heart back!"

Something eases in his chest. Thunder - that meant Nami and the _Thousand Sunny_ must be close. Kikoku lies by Fujitora's side, just out of reach. Law cements its position in his mind, preparing. It was time to end this farce. "I don't remember saying it was yours." Law wheezes, and feels Caesar's heart skip a beat. They've had him pinned there for almost twenty minutes, more than long enough to muster his energy, preparing for the right moment, and now Law hones it even further. Doflamingo frowns, squeezing the heart, and in the distance of the Marines cries and doubles over, clutching at his chest.

It's all the distraction Law needs. _"Room."_

Fujitora reacts, increasing the gravity on the rock, but its too late. Law reappears behind the Caesar, Kikoku flying to his hand. Then they vanish again, reappearing deeper in the forest. Law sprints on, dragging Caesar along behind him, _shambling_ again whenever Caesar tries to resist. Through the tree's he can just see the distant form of _Thousand Sunny_ , but Law keeps running, heading for the bridge instead. If he can draw Doflamingo there it should give the Straw Hats time to escape with Caesar.

"That wont work!" Doflamingo laughs, racing after him. "Dressrosa is my land. There's no place for you to hide!"

_We'll see,_ Law thinks, and keeps running. Doflamingo's taking the bait, charging blindly after him. For a second it looks like it's going to work, but then Law hears something - a scream from the _Thousand Sunny._ Fuck. Doflamingo stills, head snapping towards the sea, and grins. "I see whats going on." He says, and leaps into the air, flying towards the _Thousand Sunny._

_"Fuck-"_ Law snarls, and scoops up a log. Black Leg has intercepted Doflamingo, but it won't be enough. Law sprints towards the water, hauling Caesar along behind him, and throws the log with all his might, helping it along with a burst of _takt._ _"Shambles!"_ Law snaps. For a second they're falling through the air, waves roiling below them. His _Room_ expands at dizzying speed, reaching Doflamingo just as he lines Black Leg up for a killing blow.

Black spots dance across Law's vision, the jumps taking their toll, but Law isn't finished. Again. Black Leg appears in front of him, Doflamingo reappearing in Law's place, his attack going wide. Law lunges for Black Leg's arm, eyes fixing on a barrel on deck. _Again._ They collapse in a heap on the deck, and Law gasps, giving himself a single second to catch his breath and for his vision to clear, then he's moving again. The _Thousand Sunny_ is within his _Room_ , and Law scans it quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when the chest is where he left it. It drops into his hand a moment later, and Law doesn't waste time returning his own heart to his chest and tossing Caesar's to Black Leg.

"That's Caesar's heart." He says shortly, keeping an eye on the shore. Doflamingo is drawing closer. Law curses, probing at his ribs and hissing. He presses some gauze to it, bandages appearing in his hand, stolen straight from the cabinet in the infirmary, and he quickly binds the wound. "Take him and go. Head to Zou. Has the factory been destroyed yet?"

"Franky's on it." Black Leg replies grimly, pocketing the heart. "We know where it is but things have gotten complicated-"

No then. Even if they somehow miraculously manage to escape, Doflamingo will simply return to Dressrosa and round up the remaining Straw Hats. The factory wont be destroyed and half of their fighting force will have been lost - and that's assuming the Straw Hats even agree to abandon the rest of their crew. No, Law will have to buy more time. Its the only option. 

"What about my father?" The kid demands, yanking on Black Legs arm. "Where is he? Where is Sangoro?"

"What do you mean _go?_ " Nami snaps. "What about Luffy and the others!? We can't leave without them-"

_"We don't have time."_ Law snarls, grabbing Kikoku and leaping onto the rail. Back on Green Bit Fujitora's battleship is rising into the air, soaring in defiance of gravity. Doflamingo is rounding on them, speeding through the air towards them. "Doflamingo's almost here. If you don't go now this will all have been for nothing! We'll catch up with you once we've destroyed the factory!"

_"Wait-"_ Nami began, only to gasp, staring up at the sky. Law looks up and curses. More meteors. Fujitora's at it again, but this time he's summoned three of the damned things. The battleship is drawing ever close, quickly gaining on them. Law extends his _Room_ even further, a sweat breaking out on his brow, and catches the closest meteor before it can hit the _Thousand Sunny_. He shunts it sideways with a _takt,_ sending it crashing into the hull of the battleship. 

The battleship goes flying back, blown back by the force of the impact, and doesn't try to approach again. Law rounds, focusing on Doflamingo, and catches his whip attack with Kikoku's edge before it can cleave through the deck of the _Thousand Sunny_. He yanks Kikoku free and jumps back onto the deck, hauling Jora up by her hair and pressing Kikoku to her throat. "I'll keep him occupied." He tells Black Leg, his eyes not straying from Doflamingo. "Head for somewhere without clouds. He won't be able to follow you there."

"If you return without Luffy..." Black Leg glowers. He doesn't need to say more. He runs up the stairs, taking the helm as the rest of the Straw Hats prepare to flee. Law drags Jora to the rail, ignoring her her thrashing and the way her nails bit into his skin, trying to wrench his arm away.

_"Doflamingo!"_ He shouts, meeting his eyes across the distance. "Watch!" They vanish off the deck of the _Thousand Sunny,_ reappearing on the bridge. Law stumbles as Jora tries to wrench free, but he keeps a hold of her.

"Wicked child!" Jora spits, struggling against his grip. "The young master took you in, took care of you, and this is how you repay him! Wicked evil child!"

"Oh shut up." Law snaps, kicking her knees out from under her and pressing Kikoku against her throat when she opens her mouth. It only a light touch, but its enough to draw a fine red line against her neck. "Say one more word and I'll slit your throat here and now."

Jora swallows thickly and glares at him. She'd been like a mother to Buffalo and Baby 5, mending their clothes and telling them stories to wile away the long hours of the night - and yet when the Donquixote pirates had learnt of Law's sickness she'd been the first to flinch back, face twisted in revulsion. Kind once, but never to Law, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill her if that's what it takes to get to Doflamingo. He could wonder why things have changed, but he knows exactly why, and the reason is touching down on the bridge across from him.

"I wonder," Doflamingo muses. "What was the use of letting only half the Straw Hat's escape? I've still got their captain. Rumor is they'll do anything for him, I bet they'd they'd trade anything for his safety. Even Caesar and the brat. What was the point of it all?"

"I thought countless people underestimated them and got burned?" Law asks, throwing Doflamingo's words back in his face. Doflamingo's expression switches, for a single instant his face a caricature of rage, but then its gone, hidden beneath the grin once more. Law will no doubt pay for that slight but fuck it, _fuck him_. Law has been waiting for this moment for 14 years, and he will do whatever it takes to see it through. "My alliance with the Straw Hats ended as soon as they sailed away. Their use has run out."

Doflamingo whistles. "Ruthless, Law. I wonder, did you learn that from me? Or was it C-"

"Don't say his name." Law snarls, stepping forward. With a snap of his fingers Jora disappears, reappearing at the end of the bridge. He raises Kikoku, letting its scabbard fall to the ground, and stares Doflamingo down. The blade sings in his hand, hungry for blood, Law's body resonating to the same tune. "It's time to end this, Doflamingo."

"You're going to die for no reason, Law. Lashing out at the world won't bring Cora back to life." Doflamingo replies, stepping closer.

_"Shut up!"_ Law growls, and attacks.

Law has prepared for this for years, honing Kikoku's edge and working his _Room_ until his vision went dark and his legs threatened to collapse beneath him, fighting and fighting and _fighting_ until the splatter of blood hitting the ground was as familiar as the beat of his own heart. And yet nothing could truly prepare him for this fight. Doflamingo is a monster, and it takes everything Law has just to keep up with him.

Fresh and rested this would be a tough fight, but Law is neither of those things. Black spots dance across his vision, head pounding like a drum to the beat of his pulse. His coat is soaked through with blood, a dozen small cuts taking their slow toll. Every attack he blocks jars his broken collarbone, grinding like broken glass under his skin and leaving Law pale faced and gritting his teeth through the pain. The iron bridge falls away around them, shredded by their attacks, every step back forcing Law closer and closer to Dressrosa proper. Law is losing, and they both know it.

He blocks Doflamingo's swing, sending a vicious attack at his head, but doesn't manage more than a scratch. Law twists, readying for the next attack, only for Doflamingo to come at him from below, heel of his foot catching Law in the jaw and sending him flying. Pain explodes in Law's shoulder as Doflamingo nails him with a string bullet, and he gasps, clawing for Kikuko and hauling himself off the ground, meeting Doflamingo's eyes across the ruined bridge and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Is this all you've got, Law? I'm disappointed." Doflamingo says, sauntering towards him. Law glares back furiously, knuckles pressed to the concrete as he struggles to get his legs beneath him once more. His hands are shaking, hypovolemic shock starting to kick in, leaving his extremities cold and numb. Every breath hurts, and there's a cough bubbling in the back of his throat that leaves Law wondering if a broken rib hasn't ruptured his lung. Moving is agony, but Law does it anyway, gritting his teeth. One deep breath, two, and Law pushes himself to his knees. That alone almost undoes him, his vision dancing and rippling, threatening to give way completely. 

_"Hey Doffy?"_ A denden-mushi cackles. Law is right in front of him, sword in hand, and yet Doflamingo answers the denden-mushi as if he hasn't a care in the world. All of this, Punk Hazard and Vergo and fucking Green Bit, and Doflamingo still doesn't consider Law a threat. His knuckles are white around Kikoku's hilt, and Law counts the letters. _D E A T H_ \- fucking apt was what it was.

_"-Violet betrayed us. We're not sure what the Straw Hats are up to, but we've mostly got them pinned down."_

"I figured." Doflamingo replies, meeting Law's eyes. He smirks. "Put Lao G and the others on the SMILE factory. I want the security doubled."

_Son of a bitch._ Law glares at him furious, panting. Anything he says now will just reveal more of their plan, and Doflamingo is already regaining control of the situation far too quickly.

"That _was_ your plan right?" Doflamingo asks, grinning down at him. "I didn't think you'd play the decoy, Law, luring me out here while the Straw Hats destroy the factory. Using Kaidou to do your dirty work, now that's smart, but not _smart enough-_ " Doflamingo surges forward, leg lashing out, and Law's head snaps back, mouth awash with copper.

Law coughs, spitting blood, and wheezes as Doflamingo plants a foot on his chest. Kikoku lies out of reach. He could summon it with a _Room._ Tries to. Kikoku doesn't move. He's pushed himself too far. His vision is dark, hazy, and it takes an enormous amount of effort just to focus on Doflamingo. _Ah,_ Law thinks, biting back the bitter taste in his mouth, _is this what defeat tastes like?_

"I'm curious," Doflamingo begins conversationally. "Why do you trust the Straw Hats so much? You say you're just using them, but here you are, dying-" He presses down on Law's chest, driving the air from his lungs and making him wheeze painfully. "- while they're still out there, still struggling to make it work. Why?"

"The Ds will- _ha._ " Law wheezes. "The Ds will always cause another storm."

Doflamingo's face twists, furious. He raises his foot, and Law doesn't remember much after that.


	6. trust

_"I told you! I told you they wouldn't help! They're all like this. Just stop-"_

_"Never." Cora smiles, his expression painfully forced. Another hospital burns behind him, the latest in a long line, and Law doesn't know why he bothers. It always ends like this. Always. And yet Cora keeps dragging him along, finding another hospital and trying again and again and-_

_Law's eyes sting with the smoke and he rubs at his face roughly. Cora reaches over to try and ruffle his hair and Law slaps his hand away. "Why? You know they always say no! Why do you keep trying-"_

_"Cause you wanna be a doctor." Cora says, and Law freezes, throwing him a startled look. "You do, don't you? Not just how Doffy wants you to be, but properly. Like your parents, right?"_

_"What-"_

_"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Cora continues. "You're really smart, much smarter than me, and you always eat your greens first, and you really really really don't like bread-"_

_"I'm gluten intolerant!" Law snaps, cheeks going red. Cora was such a fucking weirdo._

_"See? I don't even know what that means!" Cora says, staring at Law with something in his eyes. Law looks away. It's- He can't. It's too fucking kind, too warm. Law knows what the world is, knows what life is like, and sentiment is just a distraction, something for them to tie you down with while they sharpen the knife._

_"Shut up." Law snaps, stalking onwards. The Marines are starting to arrive, drawn by the fire, and if left in charge Cora will probably hang around and get them both caught._

_"It's true!" Cora says, falling into step beside him. "You're brilliant, Law. Smart and strong and utterly brilliant, and it would be a real shame if you died like this because I didn't even try. I gotta try, Law, at least once more. Twice more. Three times- However many tries it takes. What do you say? Should we try find the next hospital?"_

_Law doesn't look at him, muttering. "Whatever. I can't stop you."_

_"You won't regret this!" Cora grins. There's a shout from behind them, the hospital staff pointing them out to the Marines. Cora laughs, grabbing Law and tossing him over his shoulder, sprinting off even as the Marines come charging after them. "Let's go!"_

-

He feels cold.

Those months in Flevance were cold, huddling in the wreckage of ruined buildings, not daring to light a fire or wander during the day. So many nights spent shivering, pulling his ragged coat tighter around his thin shoulder as he steps over bodies, scurrying from house to house, trying to find food and scoff it down before the wild dogs come after him. Always sore and aching, hunger gnawing at his insides, and always always cold.

Law shifts, head lolling to the side, pained groan abruptly turning to a gasp when the movement jars his side. He feels beaten, broken, and Law wonders how he'd managed to survive at all. He'd thought for sure that Doflamingo had killed him. There's something tacky on his face- blood, Law realizes, slowly prying his eyes open. The first thing he see's is the seastone cuffs.

Taken prisoner, Law concludes groggily, but not for long. Law shifts slightly, hissing, and reassesses his situation - there's a new hole in his side, and this one isn't going to be as easy to walk off. The bullet is still inside him, worming its way deeper and shredding his insides with every movement. It hadn't hit an artery, but left untreated it will kill him within hours. He wonders if Doflamingo still favors lead bullets.

He's exhausted, bone-weary and bled dry. Doflamingo is going to kill him, if not now then later, Law is absolutely certain of it. This is the moment people have revelations, Law supposes. When they decide the want to die gracefully, with dignity, to lie down and just take it and yet- And yet Law wants to kill Doflamingo. He aches with it, _burns_ with it, and even here, even now, there is nothing he would not do to do it.

_Sorry Cora. It looks like I couldn't do it._ Law thinks, but it feels like a lie. Law is a realist. He knows he has no chance of escape - Doflamingo is too smart for that, but the Straw Hats might still be out there, and as long as they are then there's a chance, small though it was, that they'll manage to destroy the factory. Then it doesn't matter what Doflamingo does, doesn't matter who he kills or how far he runs, because Kaidou will be coming. Law will have won.

Law has never been religious, couldn't be after Flevance, but in that moment he feels like praying. Not to gods or saints, those great distant powers that looks down on the world with such condescension, but to men, pirates. _The Straw Hats._ They can do it. They _will_ do it. Law has placed his bet, now its time to see it through.

The screen across the room crackles to life just as the massive doors to Doflamingo's throne room slowly burst open. He could pretend to still be asleep he supposes. That would be the smart play. But really, whats the point? No matter what he does he's not leaving this room alive. He watches wearily as two guards appear through the doors, dragging someone between them, Doflamingo and the rest of his retinue trailing in a moment later. Law is too exhausted to even glare.

_"The finals are about to begin. Now the winners of all four blocks will fight to see who gets the final prize, the Mera-mera fruit! Who will come out on top?"_ The screen announces, panning out for a wide view of the stadium. Four fighters remain. Law can't even say he's really surprised to recognize Straw Hat among them. So much for the plan.

"- Riku. I didn't expect to find you fighting in the same tournament as your granddaughter." Doflamingo's says, smirking down at his prisoner. The man manages a steps but the chains hinder him and the guards don't care to wait, dragging him along even as he tries to get his feet under him. "To seek out a devil fruit." Doflamingo tuts. "You must be growing desperate. Your entire family has been acting up today."

Doflamingo pauses for a moment in front of him, something like satisfaction in his eyes as he looks Law over. A blink and he's moving on, dismissing Law in favor of his new prisoner. That, more than the chains, more than the bullet burning a hole in his chest, rankles. Baby 5 glares at him from across the room, face set into a mean pout, and Law glowers back. He should have killed her when he had the chance. She flinches, looking away. Baby 5 had always been too soft.

"Your actions this morning gave us hope, then took it away again. I was tired of waiting. That is all." Riku replies. His face is old, his voice graved with age, but he holds his spine straight, firm and unbowed. Proud then, not that it will do him any good. Not that it did Law any good either.

"From you I could believe that." Doflamingo says. "But Violet is a schemer. She wouldn't act without calculating the odds - and behold! The very day she decides to act is when another Schichibukai appears my kingdom with his allies in tow! Violet made a bet, and she bet on Trafalgar Law and the Straw Hats."

"She's always been a smart girl." Riku says.

_"- and there's the bell! Let the fight begin!"_

Doflamingo just laughs. "Is she? Law has been defeated, Straw Hat Luffy is imprisoned in the Colosseum, and the rest of his crew have fled! Only one of his men is actually doing anything, the rest hiding like rats - and one man alone will never overcome my officers." Law smothers his grimace, mind whirling. The situation is worse than he anticipated. But... if Law has learnt anything, its that the Straw Hats are always up to something. If one of them is on the move, the others wont be far behind.

... Hopefully. It's equally possible that the Straw Hats are actually just that hopeless. 

_"The fight is off to a good start! One of the fighting fish attacks, and wow! It comes right over the arena - it's heading right for Lucy! But he leaps aside with ease! Nimble as anything-"_

There's a sharp beep as a denden-mushi starts to broadcast. Law opens his eyes a crack, peeking out from between his eyelashes. _"There's been an attack on the outer tower! There's an intruder, but we don't know- Wait. No. ITS STRAW HAT LUFFY! STRAW HAT LUFFY IS ATTACKING THE OUTER TOWER! I REPEAT: STRAW HAT LUFFY IS-"_

_Ah,_ Law thinks, smiling despite himself, _so it begins._

"What?" Doflamingo's brows draw together. He frowns the screen, watching the broadcast of the match at the Colosseum. His familiar grin is gone, and for once he looks visibly confused. "That can't be. Straw Hat is fighting in the Colosseum."

"You must be mistaken!" Baby 5 snaps, glaring at the denden-mushi. "Double-check! Is there even an intruder?!"

There's a deep boom from outside, followed by a staticy crash. _"- he's coming! The Straw Hats are inside the palace! It's definitely Straw Hat Luffy! He's with Pirate Hunter Zoro and La- Lady Violet? Wait, Lady Violet what are you- urkK."_

Doflamingo rounds on Baby 5, snatching the denden-mushi out of her hand and shouting orders, but its too late. The Straw Hats are on the move. "If Straw Hat is attacking the palace then _who the fuck is fighting in the Colosseum?! What the hell is going on?"_

Law can't help it. He grins. Doflamingo catches the movement out of the corner of his eye and whirls. He slams Law back against the seat, his strings biting a line against Law's throat. "Where are they? What's their plan? _What's their plan?_ " He snarls, flecks of spit hitting Law's face. He can see his eyes reflected in Doflamingo's glasses - bloody, beaten, and ever so slightly deranged.

His laugh is more of a wheeze, rattling out from between his lungs and leaving his mouth tasting of blood. It earns him a backhand across the face but now that Law's started laughing he can't stop.

_"Tell me."_ Doflamingo snaps, pressing his strings tighter against Law's neck. He can feel the blood trickling down his neck but he's so far gone the pain barely registers. Law stares straight into Doflamingo's eyes and grins. _"Fuck. You."_

"There's another report." Baby 5 cuts in, lowering her denden-mushi. She flinches before Doflamingo's glare, not meeting his eyes. "There's some sort of disturbance going on at the lower port. The Green Bit dwarves have apparently gotten involved."

Doflamingo bares his teeth, foot tapping on the ground impatiently, and he rounds on Law once more. "Attacking the factory was supposed to the the extent of your plans." He says, narrowing his eyes at Law. "Why are the Straw Hats working with the dwarves? How did you arrange that? Are you still after the factory- _No._ " Doflamingo corrects himself, his smile a cruel thing. "You're after Sugar, aren't you? Very smart Law, _very smart._ "

Law doesn't try to resist the next blow, letting it snap his head to the side. _What,_ Law wonders, _the fuck is going on?_ The Straw Hats on the move, that he could anticipate. An attack underground - well, yes, that was where the factory was. But he was missing pieces - who was Sugar? Who were the dwarves, and what exactly did Doflamingo think he was doing with them?

When Doflamingo draws back Law tilts his head, spitting out blood. "My alliance with the Straw Hats is over. I have nothing more to say."

"Don't be brave, Law. It doesn't suit you." Doflamingo scowls, looming over him. "I know you're the brain behind the alliance, so tell me-" The Straw Hats invasion had by no means been a quiet thing, but the noise that interrupts Doflamingo in that moment is nothing short of sheer cacophony. Shouting breaks out all throughout the castle, and the sound echoed throughout the entire city as as one the citizens of Dressrosa shake off their chains.

Several things happen in quick succession. The arena onscreen breaks out into chaos, the camera swinging wildly and clattering to the ground, a dozen different people shouting at once. One of the windows shatters inwards, a man charging in, sword raised. Steel glints in the afternoon sun, and Baby 5 screams as Doflamingo's head tumbles to the ground.

Law shakes himself, still trying to make sense. Doflamingo would never be this easily defeated, could never be caught of guard so easily. So this is a trap. But for who? There's movement by the window. Law's head snaps up. _No._

_No. You can't be here. Don't do this._ Because there stands Straw Hat, smiling at him and looking so damn relieved, and Law wants to cry and spit and rail at the fucking gods, because if Straw Hat is here then who's destroying the factory? Without him there, without the factory destroyed, all of this will have been for nothing. Green Bit, Punk Hazard, _Cora-_ All of it for nothing.

_No._ Law refuses to accept it. He won't- He _can't_ accept it.

"Leave." Law growls, glaring Straw Hat down. If he goes now he might still manage it, but even that is a feeble hope, slipping away a little more with every second he wastes trying to save Law. "Go now, I swear to god-"

"Torao!" Straw Hat grins, charging across the room towards him. He has a woman tucked under his arm, and he carries her like he doesn't even notice the weight, bounding along at break-neck speed. He skids to a halt beside the chair. "You're okay! Hang on, I've got the keys!"

"What about the factory? Straw Hat, _what about the factory?_ " Law snaps. Straw Hat doesn't answer, too busy trying to figure out how to unlock the cuffs. Law yanks his hands away. He doesn't need Straw Hat's fucking pity. Law isn't afraid of death. He lived it over his shoulder in Flevance, under his fucking skin and in his very bones during the years afterwards, waiting for the Amber Lead Syndrome to finally take him. Cora bought him a reprieve, but now its finally time for him to pay back that debt and nothing, not even Straw Hat, will stand in his way.

Law is a practiced liar. He angles his voice lower, meaner, and lets that desperation and bone-chilling rage slip into his expression. "Our alliance is over." He spits, tone ice cold. They're little more than strangers thrown together by happenstance - have been since the beginning. "I'm your enemy. Set me free and I'll _fucking kill you._ "

Straw Hat catches his arm. His hands might as well be stone, strong and unyeilding. Law braces himself for- Well, he doesn't know what for. An argument? An ardent claim he'll never leave him? Law has hardly garnered that sort of loyalty. Perhaps he's just bracing himself for the sight of Straw Hat's retreating back, leaving him to his fate as the bullet slowly churns through his insides and the lead spreads its poison through his bloodstream.

"Torao." Straw Hat says, completely unfazed. "Stop moving, I can't see the lock." Then he's yanking Law's arm closer, carefully extending the key towards the lock. Law can't help it. He stares, utterly baffled.

"Straw Hat." Law grits his teeth. He tries to pull his hand away but he might as well be trying to fight the seastone cuffs for all the good it does him. "If you unlock these cuff I will slit you open, throat to naval and put you back to the exact same state I found you at Marineford. I will find your crew - every single miserable one of them - and I will kill them. Slowly. _Painfully._ And there will be nothing you can do to stop me."

"You're a really bad liar." Straw Hat replies, carefully easing the key into the lock. He squints at it, jiggling it slightly, but doesn't make it further than that before the whole room lurches and roils, floor rippling like the surface of a pond. Law hits the ground with a pained grunt, wheezing breathlessly as Straw Hat comes crashing down on top of him. Blood dribbles from his lips, his chest expolding in a symphony of goddamn agony as every single piece of him shreiks in protest. Its all he can do not to curl up on the floor and sob.

"The situation is worse than I thought." Doflamingo severed head says. Law's insides freeze. _No. No he can't-_ "Tell the others," Doflamingo orders. "I'm using the Birdcage."

Law can't breath. He can't breath and he can't fucking move and he can't-

_"- change of plans, Law." Cora says, and he tries to hide it but he's nervous. He keeps shooting glances towards the sky, eyes tracing the glittering lines of the cage. He smiles. "It's gonna be okay."_

_Cora was always a bad liar. "What about Doflamingo-"_

_"Don't worry, he won't kill me." Cora said, clapping a hand on Law's shoulder. "I'm his brother. Hey, Law, you know I lo-"_

The room shudders, and it takes Law a moment to realise its not just him. Straw Hat hits the wall, fresh blood on his lips, Doflamingo repelling his attack like its nothing. The floor streatches and shifts, and the next thing he knows the lot of them are being ejected out through the wall, falling at breakneck speed towards the lower courtyard. Straw Hat reacts quickly, cushioning the landing, but even then its rough. Law gasps wetly, cuffs biting into his wrists as he tries to curl in on himself.

The goddamn seastone is making everything worse. Law can handle pain, can handle agony and broken bones and bullets biting through his insides, but the seastone saps his energy. He's so fucking exhausted, and it makes it all just much worse. Without it he could circulate his power, numb the pain and stop the bleeding. As it is he'll be lucky if the internal bleeding doesn't get him.

He watches, numb and exhausted, as something rises into the sky, glinting in the afternoon sun. It spreads, blossoming across the sky and spreading over the whole of Dressrosa. 14 years later and nothing has changed. Law blinks against the haze in his vision, head throbbing like someone has taken a hammer to it. He half expects to turn to the side and spot Cora lying there, his blood staining the snow, deeper and darker and so red red _red_ -

_Lead bullets,_ Law thinks, and _isn't it ironic he's killed us in the same way?_

The whole land shudders, rising and falling at Doflamingo's command. When the dust settles they're staring up at a cliff, what had once been the outer courtyard of the palace now a plateu halfway up a mountain. Doflamingo is announcing something and Law listens with grim resignation as the bounties are announced. The Straw Hat's sniper has somehow managed to earn himself a 500 million beli bounty. Law doesn't even want to know.

Law sits up slowly, wincing, and sighs when he spots Kikoku on the ground not far away. It must have fallen down with them in the tumble. The rest of the party is clustered around the Straw Hats' denden-mushi, conspiring with the rest of their fellows. "- did you see Usopp's bounty?" Straw Hat grins. "How'd he do that? Usopp's amazing!"

_"Nows not the time, Luffy."_ Nico Robin replies gently. _"How is everyone?"_

"Torao's alive!" Straw Hat says, shooting Law a cheerful look over his shoulder. "Oh! Rebecca! We found- Hey, wait where did he go?" Straw Hat glances around, frowning. He turns back to the denden-mushi. "He's disappeared, but the soldier was here! The one-legged toy!"

_"What was- Lucy, what was he like?"_ The woman, Rebecca?, demands. 

"What are you talking about?" Straw Hat yells, waving his arms furiously. The denden-mushi stares back impassively. "He's your _dad_! He's the statue guy from the Colosseum!"

They've been on Dressrosa less than a day and already Straw Hat has gotten himself embroiled in some random family's drama. Law sighs, testing his chains, and grimaces when the movement makes his whole side ache fiercely. Goddamn he hates broken bones. He looks around, but of course the key has vanished. Nothing's ever so convenient.

The Straw Hats are still arguing, chattering on about Rebecca and the damn toys and someone's father- It doesn't matter. None of it fucking matters. Because the Birdcage is gleaming in the sun above them, insidious threads already beginning to descend, snaking down and finding their targets among the citizens of Dressrosa. Doflamingo is going to kill them all and there isn't a single thing they could do to stop him. 

This is it. It's over.

"-arao? Hey, Tarao, are you okay?" Law blinks, wrenching his eyes away from the glittering lines of the Birdcage. Straw Hat's kneeling at his side, staring at him intently. "I lost the key, but Rebecca has another one. We'll get it, then I'm going to beat up Flamingo."

Law shakes his head mutely. He swallows thickly, taking a harsh breath when he can finally breath though the blood. "You don't understand. You won't be able to beat him. This, all of this, the Birdcage - its his domain. We're in his trap now."

Straw Hat doesn't even blink. When he speaks its with absolute certainty - Law shouldn't be surprised. Straw Hat has always been a fool. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to beat him anyway."

Law's laugh rattles in his chest, scraping against the insides of his ribs like broken glass. Blood dribbles from the corner of his mouth. "And what about Kaidou?" He asks, defeated. "Kill Doflamingo and it'll just bring his wrath down on us instead. Whatever we do it's over-"

_"Torao."_ Straw Hat says, just that. He's still looking at him, but there's something in his eyes, intense and utterly unrecognizable. In that instant it feels like Straw Hat can see the very heart of him, Law's twisted, tattered soul laid bare before him. How can his eyes be so fucking _knowing?_ Law flinches but can't draw his eyes away. "I'm gonna to save you, I'm gonna save Dressrosa, and I'm gonna beat that damn Flamingo into the ground. _Then_ we can worry about Kaidou. Okay?"

Then Straw Hat grins, his expression downright sunny, and all of a sudden the spell is broken. Whoever that person had been, staring out at him from behind Straw Hat's eyes, he's gone - replaced by the fool once more. Law gapes. He feels frozen, his mind skipping like a broken record. He can't- What- "Straw Hat-"

"Alright!" Straw Hat lunges to his feet, clapping his hands together, and then Law is being hauled off the ground, a rubbery armed wrapped around his waist. Before Law can do more than gasp, Straw Hat is bounding forward, Law tucked under one arm and Roronoa under the other, and then they're in free fall. It takes Law a second to realize its because Straw Hat has _jumped off the side of the fucking mountain._

Law loses track of the next few minutes. He'd barely been able to hold himself together sitting still and in motion everything is so much worse. Straw Hat's arm presses on his side, strong but unyielding, and it sends new waves of agony flaring through Law's system every time Straw Hat moves. He has to swallow to keep himself from drowning in the blood, closing his eyes to stave off the twisting kaleidoscope of darkness that threatens to take him entirely. His blood is running slick down Straw Hat's side, staining the faded red fabric of his shirt. Law can almost feel it leaving him, every drop lost leaving him that much weaker. He's surprised the hypovolemic shock hasn't taken him already.

He's vaguely aware of them landing. Straw Hat's arm tightens around him, Law's insides seizing with the force of it, and it's all he can do to swallow back the blood. Straw Hat bounds on, each step jarring Law's wounds, and Law grits his teeth through it. The next time he opens his eyes its to the sight of Admiral Fujitora standing at the head of a crowd of Marines. For fucks sake. Not him again.

There must be two hundred Marines around them, with more still in the streets around them, trying to take control of the chaos in the streets. A shadow falls over the street and Law blinks, following it up and up and up. Peeka looks like something out of a nightmare, looming over the city, so large he almost eclipses the sky. Law wants to laugh.

_We're all going to die-_

Peeka must say something, because Straw Hat is laughing, Law's entire form shaking with the force of his mirth. Then there's no time to think about it, everything bursting into motion once more. Law finds himself thrown over Straw Hat's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the force of it punching the air from his lungs, and then they're running, Peeka's fist descending on them like the wrath of the gods.

It strikes home with the force of a natural cataclysm. The ground shudders beneath their feet, the entire island shaking like it's been hit by an earthquake. Buildings rupture around them, stone spilling into the air as the force of it sends out a shockwave that sweeps everyone off their feet. They go flying, the debris raining down around them as gravity reasserts itself once more and sends the ruined remains of the city hurtling back towards the ground.

By the time Law manages to slowly pry himself off the ground, blinking the dust from his eyes, Straw Hat is shouting at a motley crowd of people that have emerged from the rubble, drawn to Straw Hat like moths to a flame. Most of them are armed, the rest holding themselves with the steady assurance of people used to being the strongest around. They'd been on Dressrosa less than a day. Where did Straw Hat even find these people?

Law's not going to lie. He loses track of things a bit after that. There's a lot of people shouting, and a lot of Straw Hat shouting back _even louder_ , everyone straining to be heard over each other. Then more people appear and there's even _more_ shouting, because apparently those people are trying to attack them? And the other people, Straw Hat's people - not his crew, no, other random people who've decided to work with Straw Hat - attack them back. Straw Hat slings him over his shoulder once more, and Law just lies there and lets him.

He's so tired. _God,_ he's so tired. Adrenaline had carried him through the last part of his fight with Doflamingo, but now even that is gone. He feels like a broken thing, a clockwork soldier shattered to pieces that hasn't quiet realized its about to stop ticking. His insides grind like broken gears, more pieces spilling out with every hard knock, with every minute that passes. Soon there'll be nothing left. If he closes his eyes will he open them again?

Peeka tries to attack, fist coming down towards them like one of Fujitora's meteors, only to shatter in mid-air, intercepted by a returning attack from below. Then they're moving once more, at the head of a sudden charge that barrels straight towards Peeka, meeting the stone mountain of his arm and going _up-_

He'd had a plan, Law thinks idly. Destroy the SAD manufacture room, destroy the factory... A kidnapping here, a bit of distraction there. Simple, at least by Law's standards. The Straw Hats had been a surprise, but a manageable one. Doflamingo would submit to their demands, sealing his own fate, or they'd destroy the factory and Kaidou would finish the job for them. He'd had a _plan._

And yeah, he'd known that he probably wasn't going to get out of it alive, but Law had accepted it. He'd had been living on borrowed time his entire life, the clock always ticking down. Even after Cora and the Ope-Ope fruit Law had known that he'd die eventually trying to take down Doflamingo. It seemed almost fitting. Cora had died so that Law might live - the very least he could do was spend that life avenging him.

Now he doesn't know whats going on, but its definitely not the plan. Half the Straw Hats are gone, Dressrosa is in open rebellion against it's king, and above them the Birdcage glitters in the light, spelling out a drawn out and painful death for anyone trapped within. It would have been so much easier if Straw Hat had just left him to die, but perhaps Law shouldn't be surprised.

Straw Hat has always had a reputation for being unpredictable, for setting his sights on the impossible and throwing himself against the world. He's foolish, reckless, and utterly without a plan, and yet he wins. Again and again he wins. Maybe Law should have know it would end this way, with Straw Hat bursting into his life and throwing everything into chaos, but for once he thinks he can be forgiven for not anticipating this outcome. He doesn't think anybody could have anticipated this.

Maybe its the blood-loss talking, or maybe Straw Hat has infected Law with his peculiar brand of idiocy but... For some reason Law's starting to think that they might actually have a chance. After the bridge Law had known he wouldn't get another chance to beat Doflamingo, he was too smart for that. But now...

Law spits out a mouthful of blood. This is absurd, every part of this situation is utterly insane. Doflamingo was leagues ahead of him even when Law was at his best, and he certainly isn't that now. And yet... "Straw Hat."

Straw Hat ducks under the swipe of a massive sword, Law's stomach flipping at the sudden drop. In a smooth movement he turns, knocking out the enemy with an elastic punch, then they're charging onwards. He glances down at Law, meeting his gaze out of the corner of his eye for a fraction of a second before he has to turn his attention forward once more, focusing on the next enemy. "Yeah?"

"Can you really get us to the top?" Law asks. He still can't quiet believe he's doing this but- What did Bepo used to say? _You can never truly know how things are going to turn out. Sometimes some things just need a leap of faith._ Law had scoffed at the time, wrote it off as sentimental nonsense, but now he thinks he understands. Law can lie down and wait to die, or he can roll the dice one more time, bet on Straw Hat and see where it takes him. One more try. Doflamingo is distracted, weakened, and so is Law, but maybe, just maybe it might be enough. Law won't survive the attempt, but his life is a small price to pay for the chance to put Doflamingo in the ground once and for all.

Straw Hat's face is turned forward, always looking ahead, always, but Law can see the corner of his smile, the way his eyes crinkle a bit before his gaze latches onto the next attack. " _Shishishi!_ Of course!"

"Ah." Law says, and closes his eyes. Being hauled around blindly on Straw Hat's shoulder is terrifying, utterly outside the realm of Law's comfort zone, but if they're really going to do this then Law's going to need all the energy he can get. "Get these shackles off me. I think its time Doflamingo and I had a rematch."

"Alright!" Straw Hat laughs. How he manages to sound so jubilant amongst such chaos and destruction Law doesn't know, but then perhaps just part of what makes Straw Hat so unstoppable. He feels Straw Hat's muscles tense below him, tightening and drawing in, and then they're soaring through the air, the ground giving away below them as Straw Hat turns his relentless energy upwards and _jumps._

They ascend the levels of the palace one by one. Enemies throw themselves in their path only to be met with a new rush of reinforcements at every turn, strangers and friends alike stepping into the path of danger to allow Straw Hat take one step further. Law hasn't met most of these people, recognizes only a fraction of the faces among them, and yet all and one these people step up, placing their faith in Straw Hat. They ascend the final level to the Sunflower Field on a staircase made of glowing barriers to the sound of explosions ringing below - Nico Robin and two strangers staying behind to guard their path.

The click of the keys turning in the lock feels like fate. The shackles fall from Law's wrists and Law doesn't see where they land. The rush of energy hits him like a tsunami, thrumming through his veins and crackling down his spine, down every nerve and sinew, electric and eager. A _Room_ bursts from his skin in a rush, leaving him like an exhale of breath, and it soars outwards, hard and fast and furious, until Law can feel the gossimar threads of the Birdcage brushing the edge of his senses. It isn't wise using this much energy in Law's state, but when has Law ever given a damn about what was wise?

A twitch of his fingers and the bullet lands in the rich soil of the flower field, little more than a forgotten glint amongst the roots. It takes little more than a thought to stem the flow of blood from his side and numb the churning agony in his insides, and in the time it takes him to draw Kikoku Law can barely feel the wound at all. He'll pay the price for it later. The Ope-Ope fruit isn't a cure all and at the end of this the damage will still be there, all the worse for deadening the nerves without healing it. Law doesn't care. He doesn't plan on living long enough for it to be an issue.

"Time to go." Law says, eyes fixed on the palace. Doflamingo is in there somewhere, waiting for him. He thinks he's going to win, that he's going to put Law down the same way he did Cora, but this time things will be different. This time it'll be Dolfamingo that bleeds out on the cold ground, gasping and staring up at Law as the light slowly leaves his eyes. Law will make sure of it.

Diamante tries to stop them, sword darting towards them like a snake, slithering in the air and lightening quick. Law doesn't even look back, grabbing Straw Hat by the shoulder. _"Shambles."_

They land in the palace gardens. The elegant stonework is in disarray, destroyed sometime during the chaos of the afternoon, and part of the wall looks like its about to collapse in on a nearby hallway. Law doesn't spare it a second glance, already moving towards the door. Behind him Straw Hat blinks at their new surroundings from where he's splayed on the ground, knocked prone by their sudden reappearance. He jumps to his feet, trotting after Law.

Law catches Straw Hat's gaze. "Whatever he does, whatever he says, you have to keep your cool. As soon as you get angry then he's won. You have to be careful."

Straw Hat grunts, nodding once, and then they're moving on, following the trail of destruction through the halls of the palace. It's too quiet in here. The silence grates on Law's nerves, leaving him jumpy and anxious. Even Straw Hat is quiet at his side, eyes set forward with a sharp sort of intensity that looks alien on his face. The ascend the stairs in silence, nothing to announce them but the sound of their own quiet footsteps and the distant sounds of buildings collapsing in the streets below. Law pauses before the doors, kneeling to drag his fingers through a fistful of sand, steeling his grip against the sweat and blood on his hands.

The doors watch him, still and silent. Law wonders if Straw Hat can hear the pounding of his heart, so hard and loud it seems to drown out the whole world. This is it. This is the moment he's been waiting for ever since that day on Minion Island, the crack of the gunshot still echoing in his ears. He can hear it again now, hear the noise Cora made when he slumped back against the chest, the splatter of blood hitting the ground as Law slammed his fists against the inside the chest and screamed until his throat was hoarse, not a single sound escaping his lips.

_It's time, Cora._ Law pushes the door open.

Doflamingo is waiting for them. He lounges on his throne, one leg crossed at the knee and resting on the other, his head propped up on his first. Trebol stands behind the throne, always the loyal follower, and there's another figure splayed on the ground by Doflamingo's feet. He grins at them, utterly unsurprised, but Law learnt how the read the shades of Doflamingo's smiles years ago. Beneath that amused disaffection Doflamingo is utterly furious. "Took you longer than I thought to get here. Let me guess, you're here to kill me?"

Law glares, mouth set into a grim line. His silence is answer enough.

Doflamingo laughs - a careless, cruel noise. "All this and for what? The memory of a dead man. I thought you were better than this. I thought you knew better than to get attached. _Sentimental._ Where's that child I met all those years ago, the one that walked into my base with a belt of grenades round his neck? When did you become so weak, Law?"

_Cora was never a weakness,_ Law thinks viciously, but bites it back, grinding his teeth, not giving Doflamingo the satisfaction of seeing him riled up. Doflamingo is trying to make him angry. Anger would make him hasty, cloud his judgement, and Law can't afford either. He glares back, still and silent, and resists the urge to carve the smug look off his face when Doflamingo just smirks.

"And what about you?" Doflamingo asks, turning his gaze to Straw Hat. He uncrosses his legs, lone foot hitting the back of the fallen man hard and driving a pained wheeze from his chest. "Don't tell me you're here to save them? All those poor lost souls down below just waiting for a hero to swoop in. But you're a pirate - you're not as selfless as that. So what is it? Power? Vengeance? Or maybe you just like the idea of blood on your knuckles, the chance to show everyone you're the strongest around? Or maybe you're here for _him?_ " Doflamingo grins, kicking the downed man over. His face is bloody and bruised but still recognizable. One of Doflamingo's mid-level grunts, powerful enough to earn the position as one of his enforcers but otherwise completely unnoteworthy. 

Straw Hat goes tense, taking a step forward, his voice low and angry. "Let him go."

Law shoots a warning look at his back, then glances back to Doflamingo, fingers tightening around Kikoku's hilt. Dolflamingo's smile is vicious. He's scented blood on the water and now he's going for the kill, finding any weak point in Straw Hat's armor and burrowing in. He leans down, tangling his fingers in Bellamy's hair and wrenching him up. "Why do you care?" Doflamingo purrs, dragging Bellamy up another inch just to hear him groan, closed eyes flickering weakly against the pain. "He was your enemy in Mocktown. He hasn't changed you know - he's still weak, still a failure, still the same lowlife scum that he was before."

"Let. Him. Go." Straw Hat's expression is black. Law tries to catch his gaze but its useless, Straw Hat isn't paying attention. Law makes a frustrated noise. Straw Hat's playing right into Doflamingo's hands.

"Alright." Doflamingo says easily, releasing Bellamy carelessly. He crumples to the ground in a heap, hitting the floor with a wet sound as Doflamingo rises to his feet. He takes a step forward, Bellamy's finger's crunching beneath his boot. Law tenses, whirling towards Straw Hat but its too late - he's already lurching forward, leg arcing towards Doflamingo in a brutal kick. Doflamingo ducks under it easily.

Straw Hat's leg snaps back towards him and he twists, rounding for another attack. _"Straw Hat."_ Law snaps, sliding a step closer. "Get a grip! Remember what I said. You promised me you'd keep calm!."

"So wise, Law." Doflamingo laughs, throwing his arms wide. "It won't help you. Cora thought he knew how to handle me and look where that ended him. It's your fault he died, you know. If it hadn't been for you he never would have tried to steal the Ope-Ope fruit. I'd never had had to kill him."

"Don't talk about him." Law snarls, ice crawling in his veins. "You don't deserve to even say his name."

"So furious." Dolfamingo mocks. "Where was that rage when Cora died? Where were you when he died? Cora died for you, and yet you just turned and ran. He loved you, you know, and you abandoned him, left him there to die-"

_"I was there."_ Law can't breath through the rage. It feels like a living beast clawing its way out from inside him, ripping through his skin as it howls and snarls and throws itself against the world, against _Doflamingo._ "That entire time, I was there. He silenced me, hid me away, but _I was there._ You killed him. And now I'm going to kill you."

"Then do it." Doflamingo purrs, and then he's splitting in two, threads swirling around him as a double forms beside him. It lunges forward, threads shrieking against Law's blade as he brings up Kikoku and blocks. Then the fight is on. Even Doflamingo's doubles are a force to be reckoned with - Law focuses his attention on the enemy in front of him, catching movement out of the corner of his eye as Straw Hat charges the real Doflamingo.

He doesn't make it far. Bellamy lurches to his feet, his posture hunched and twisted, and Law feels something sink in his gut. Straw Hat's attack goes wide as he jumps back, narrowly avoiding hitting Bellamy. "He's being controlled!" Law yells, ducking under a vicious swipe from the clone and quickly throwing himself, narrowly avoiding the creeping threads trying to tangle around his ankles. "You have to take him down!"

"I can't!" Straw Hat shouts, dancing backwards as Bellamy lunges forward in a series of swipes. "He's my friend!"

"Do it anyway!" Law snarls, rolling under the next attack and springing to his feet, driving Kikoku into the clone's belly. The threads part, Kikoku sinking into empty air, and then tighten again, creeping down the blade and trying to snare his hands. Law rips Kikoku free, slashing at the clone as he darts back.

"I thought you would have chosen better allies, Law." Doflamingo grins, perched on the arm of his throne. "Sentiment is a weakness. Bellamy's on the brink - one good hit and he'll expire once and for all. Such a shame."

"Shut up and _fight me!_ " Straw Hat snaps, jumping over Bellamy's swords and charging straight towards Doflamingo. Straw Hat draws back for a punch, his fist gleaming with the concentrated energy of Haki. Law's eyes widen, thoughts flying at a thousand miles per hour. It's a dangerous plan, stupidly so, but-

_"Shambles."_

Law lands on the throne with a grunt, already twisting, concentrating the energy of the Ope-Ope fruit on the length of Kikoku's blade and slashing at Trebol. _Radio-Knife_ is a new technique, still rough around the edges, stray crackles of energy stinging at his hands, but Law designed it just for this and it doesn't disappoint. Trebol slides apart in pieces, the slimy amusement on his face giving way to shock and anger as he tries and fails to pull himself together. He hits the ground with a squelch, gathering himself in an oozing heap and slithering away from Law as best he can when his pieces keep sliding apart.

In the corner of his eye he can see Straw Hat standing over Doflamingo, his feathered coat trailing in the dust and blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Something vicious and satisfied sparks in his chest. Law can't take the time to appreciate the sight - instead focusing on the enemy in front of him. He stares down Trebol and wonders if he should feel something. Some sort of guilt maybe? Regret? A lingering attachment to one of the key figures of his youth - someone who was, well, not kind, never that, but familiar. 

Even in his youth Trebol had always been a disgusting excuse of a man - interested only in basking in Dolfamingo's power and using the influence it gave him to find ever younger victims. No. Law wouldn't feel anything after killing Trebol, save perhaps a grim satisfaction.

Law advances, raising Kikoku for an _Injection Shot_. One hit to the head, that's all it would take. Then Trebol would be out of the game and Doflamingo left without his most powerful guard.

"Wait! Law! You're really going to do this? I used to take care of you, we were like family!" Trebol gasps, eyes going wide and wet as Law steps down from the throne, Kikoku held high. Law steps forward, eyes cold, and Trebol gives up the act. The hurt vanishes from his eyes, tears disappearing, and he lunge's forward, spitting bullets of sludge in Law's face. So much for family. 

Law ducks, slicing the bullets to pieces before they can get within a foot of him, and darts forward, bringing Kikoku down. _Injection Sho-_

Pink flutters in the corner of his eye as Law surges forward, going for the kill, and by then its too late to react. Domflaingo intercepts the attack with a brutal kick, throwing it wide. It all happens in an instant. Law draws back, retreating from the sudden onslaught-

His feet dont move, sunk deep into Trebol's sludge. Law's eye's widen. He throws a Room out, as hard and fast as he can manage, but it doesn't get further than a couple of inches from his skin before Doflamingo's threads pierce his back. Law gasps, blood dribbling from his lips as his chest alights in a starburst of agony, Doflamingo's threads piercing through him and _yanking_ -

He hits the ground hard, skidding on the stone. He coughs, a wet gurgle emanating from deep in his chest as blood floods his lungs. The attack has pierced right through him, puncturing his lungs in four different places. If he doesn't do something about it he'll drown within minutes. Law grits his teeth, flaring his power, and gasps as blood hits the stone with a deafening splatter. For a second he can breath easier, and he focuses inwards, redirecting the blood flow around the wounds and pinching shut the veins that had been severed.

Law's a good doctor, capable of pulling of miracles other doctors could only dream of with the Ope-Ope fruit, but even he has limits. Stemming the blood costs him precious time, and when he finally manages to look up its just in time to watch Bellamy's swords cut through Straw Hat's side, blood dark on the gleaming metal of his swords.

His arms collapse beneath him, Law hitting the ground hard even as he tries to lunge forward, his eyes fixed on that crumpled form. His insides go cold and tight. _"Straw Hat!"_

There's blood on the ground, pooling around him, but Straw Hat shifts, groaning as he slowly pushes himself onto his side. For a brief second his eyes flicker towards Law, and Law lets out a rough breath. He's alive. For now.

Then Doflamingo's advancing once more, Bellamy at his side. Straw Hat throws himself backwards, avoiding the first strike of the swords, but it's not enough. Doflamingo's kick catches him right in the stomach, tossing Straw Hat like a rag-doll, with enough force to crack the ground beneath him. The last Law see's of him is the flutter of his red shirt as he falls into the hole, Doflamingo and Bellamy leaping down after him.

A shadow passes above him. Law flinches, meeting Doflamingo's eyes. There's a smudge of blood at the corner of his mouth - the real one then. The clone must be the one with Straw Hat. Law presses his hands into the stone, gritting his teeth against the wave of pain as he pushes himself up inch by agonizing inch. Just sitting up is a monumental task, and it takes every ounce of his will get his feet beneath him and haul himself up, using Kikoku as an uneasy crutch. At the end of it there are black spots dancing across his vision and he sways like a leaf in the breeze, his body numb and unresponsive where it isn't red hot and sputtering, wracked with agnoy.

Doflamingo watches with cruel amusement, something vicious and satisfied in the curve of his smile. "Did you really think you could win?" Doflamingo asks, voice low. Threads glinting on his fingers, thin as silk and sharp as razors. Law manages to block the first blow, barely, but the force of it sends him staggering back a step. He just manages to stay on his feet, yanking Kikoku forward to face Doflamingo once more. "Diamante's sword tricks-" Kikoku shrieks, Law stumbling as his feet slip in blood. He falls back another step. "Lao-G's hand to hand-" Another blow, another step back. Stray threads cut weeping lines across his ribs. "Gladius' gunnery! We taught you everything you know, Law! And this is how you repay us!?"

Law grunts, fingers slippery with blood as he tightens his grip on Kikoku's. His arm aches with the force of blocking Doflamingos attacks, every new hit threatening to send his sword flying from his hand. Red lines criss-cross his arms, weeping openly, souvenirs of Doflamingo's attacks.

"You could have been great! You could have been the next Corazon! A medical genius of your level with the power of the Ope-Ope fruit - do you know what you would have been worth?" Doflamingo snarls. Law blocks the threads an inch from his neck, but isn't fast enough to catch his next attack. Blood speckles Doflamingo's cheek, agony scouring a line down Law's shoulder.

Law blocks a slash, stumbling back as far as he dares. His feet almost give way beneath him. He spits out a mouthful of blood, meeting Doflamingo's furious gaze with a ragged grin. "Does immortality have a price tag?"

Doflamingo stills, expression going flat. Law's laugh is a rough noise, little more than a series of pained wheezes, every hitch of his chest sending a new wave of agony through his nerves. When Doflamingo speaks his voice is cold, harsh, and utterly fucking _furious._ "I think I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Law raises Kikoku one last time. _For Cora._

It seems to happen in slow motion. Dolfamingo tilts forward, threads glistening on his fingers as blue erupt from Law's skin, engulfing them both in a dome. Law throws himself forward, sprinting at Doflamingo, and at the last second reappears behind him, a pebble appearing in his place. He turns Kikoku inwards, stabs-

And gets yanked backwards as Doflamingo seizes Kikoku, his hand dark with Haki, and meets him with a palm of glittering threads. They screech against Law's arms. Even with his Haki the threads still sink deep, pulling free with a slick noise, a wave of hot blood washing down his warm. Without Haki it would have cult him in half. Law lets out a rough breath.

_"Injection Shot."_

Doflamingo stumbles, Kikoku cutting a whole through his side, the pale feathers of his coat splattered with blood. "Cora was too kind to pull the trigger." Law says, returning both hands to Kikoku's hilt and meeting Doflamingo's gaze head on. "I'm not so forgiving."

A Room expands around him, growing until the palace walls pass within his senses and Diamante and Cryos' fighting tugs at the edge of his senses. And then he swings. A corner of the palace falls away, hundreds of tones of stone rising into the air as Law crooks his finer. _"Takt."_

It falls like a meteor, rocketing towards Doflamingo and shattering on his strings. Let him fight. It won't make a difference. Law catches those broken pieces and hurls them back towards Doflamingo, appearing behind him when Doflamingo takes to the skies to escape. He lunges at Doflamingo's open back, fingers outstreched-

_Pain._

Law screams. Hits the ground. He curls in on himself, reaching in and chokes on the sudden wash of blinding agony, white-hot and molten. There's blood on his hands, on his face, pooling on the cracked stone, red and steaming and- Law can see something in the corner of his eye, dark fabric on the stone. He can't look away, eyes drawn with a terrible magnetism. Kikoku lies on the stone, blade still wet with Doflamingo's blood and near it-

_D E A T H_

His finger's are still curled around Kikoku's hilt. There's blood smudged on his tattoo, Law notes dully, unable to tear his eyes away from - caught by a terrible fascination at the sight of his own arm, still and motionless on the ground so far away. Footsteps approach and Law wrenches his eyes away, looking up into the barrel of Doflamingo's pistol. "All this in vain." Doflamingo says, crouching in front of him. He levels the gun with Law's head, pulling the hammer back with a soft click. "You'll die for nothing Law. Unless..."

Law grits his teeth, hands sliding in his own blood as he tries to push himself up. He collapses, gasping, and has to take a moment to spit out a mouthful of blood. He flops onto his back, glaring up at Doflamingo, blood spilling over his finger in scalding pulses as he clutches his arm. The barrel of the gun is inches from the tip of his nose.

Dolfamingo's finger tap against the grip of his pistol, a cheerful _tap tap tap_. Law can't see his eyes, but his expression is intent "One chance Law. You're going to die anyway - do the operation for me, make me immortal, and I'll grant you a wish. Anything, Law. Anything you can imagine, name it and its yours."

Law stuggles to breath, grunting. " _Ha._ Al- Alright."

Doflamingo makes an pleased noise. "I knew you'd see it my way, Law." He purrs, leaning back on the balls of his feet.

"Then-" Law coughs, wincing. He smiles weakly, his grin crazed, his eyes wild and angry. "Then bring him back. _Bring Cora back_ , you son of a bitch."

Doflamingo's expression twists. He lurches to his feet, the cold barrel of the gun biting Law's forehead, but Law just _laughs._ "It's over Doflamingo. Caesar is gone. You wont be getting him back. The Straw Hats will take you down, its only- _Ha._ Only a matter of time-"

The crack of the gunshot is startling. Law blinks up at the sky, and it takes him a moment to realize that wet gurgle he can hear is coming from him. He gapes, gasping uselessly as blood bubbles up his throat, body jerking as the gun fires twice, three times. Doflamingo empty's his pistol in Law, shooting until the gun clicks empty. And Law can't- He can't focus. He can't breath. He can't-

_No._

No. He wont die. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

_(Doflamingo catches him looking and smirks. He always looks so casual, even with blood splattered on his face. "Remember this, Law. The weak can't pick the manner of their death.")_

Fuck you, Law thinks. He grits his teeth, almost grateful he doesn't have the breath to scream. His thoughts are sluggish, slipping through his fingers like wisps of smoke through a net. He presses his arm to the ground, swallowing a gasp as pain flares through him, white-hot and blinding. It leaves him reeling, struggling to muffle a scream, but affords him a moment of perfect painful clarity.

Doflamingo thinks he's dead, dying, and Law is but- But Law's not gone yet. He can use that. If he can position himself, wait for the right moment to- Law's teeth grind so hard it feels like they're going to shatter. God it hurts so much. _It hurts-_ An ambush. He need to wait for an ambush. Needs to hide until then. Doflamingo can't know he's not dead.

A _Room_ , Law thinks clinically. Large enough that Doflamingo doesn't notice it. If he can just- If he can just-

Law breaths, harsh, choking, as quiet as he can manage. Tiny, pained hitches of his chest. He puts everything into his _Room_ , powers it with the full force of his breath, takes the raw ache of pain across his body - bruising and burning and bright as starfire - and pushes. He takes the sound Cora made when Doflamingo shot him, wet and gasping; takes the sight of his smile when he pushed him into that fucking chest, blood and broken-toothed but still so damn cheerful-

_(you know I love you.)_

\- takes the moment of sudden realization as silent sobs suddenly grow loud and Law is screaming, sobbing, because Cora was dead, _Cora was dead-_

_(I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to hate me. I'm sorry-_

_I already knew. Law mouths, staring at the wall of the chest and imaging Cora on the other side. He reaches out, presses his hands to the fridgid wood, imagining he can feel Cora through it._

_I love you too. Law says, but it's too late. The words wont come._

_Marine Code 01746. Commander Donquixote Rocinante-)_

He takes every inch of that rage, that fury, the grief that crawls through his veins, squeezing the breath from his lungs. He takes it and he pushes. _Pushes._

A jump start - like landing on a target without ever having jumped. It's funny. He hated Punk Hazard while he was there, loathed it the place and everyone in it, but without it he wouldn't have the skill to pull this off. Law almost passes out from the sudden loss of energy, his vision going hazy and dark as the _Room_ shimmers, materializing high in the sky, deep in the earth. It engulfs the palace, the whole plateau, stretching for miles. Law can feel every soul within like an itch on his skin - a constellation in the back of his mind, souls flaring like starbursts. There are hundreds of them, every single one of them living, breathing, fighting, dying-

Law fixes his eyes on the ground in front of him, watching blood slowly pool around the cracks in the stone. It would be too easy to get lost in it - all that raw sensory data clamoring for space in his head. Instead he focuses, shifting his awareness to the area around the palace roof. There, on the level below him, he can feel a body. One of Doflamingo's grunts cut down and left where he'd fallen.

Sweat drips down the side of his face, his skin so cold and the blood so warm warm _warm-_ _"Shambles."_ Law breaths, biting back a cry as he drops a foot and lands harshly. Where he'd been lying there's a faint shift as his coat settles around its new owner, easily dismissed as the effect of the breeze.

He sits up slowly, carefully, listening to the crunch of stone on the roof as Straw Hat flies at Doflamingo, following their progress across the rooftop as the two dances around each other, darting back and forth. He glances at his arm, grimacing at what he see's and binds the wound as tightly as he can without screaming. Then he sits back and waits. He can feel the _Room_ like a physical weight, wearing him a little more with every second that crawls by.

It takes effort to create a _Gamma-Blade_. The raw energy burns his skin, blackening his fingers as a numb chill spreads up his arm, tickling up his forearm and eventually reaching his shoulder as the attack drains the energy from his body. He tracks Doflamingo and Straw Hat's fight across the terrace above him. Law takes a ragged breath, steeling himself. His eyes snap open.

_"Shambles."_

For a second he's in freefall, close enough to see the whites of Doflamingo's eyes, and then the _Gamma-Blade_ is sinking into skin, blood exploding over Law's hands. The air crackles with the force of it, stray sparks dancing across their skin and singing their clothes. Doflamingo's fingers dig into his arm, nails like claws, then he's been thrown back as Straw Hat catches him clean across the side with a brutal kick.

Doflamingo hits the far wall with a wet crunch and Law collapses on the ground. Straw Hat advances towards Doflamingo, expression hidden behind the wild mess of his hair, but Law stops him. "Wai- Wait." He coughs, hands sliding in his own blood as he hauls himself up one last time. He shakes, trembling with the force of staying upright, but limps towards Doflamingo. "Let me- I have to-"

Straw Hat meet's his eyes, and whatever he see's there must convince him, because he nods once and stands back. His vision goes dark as he summons a _Room_ and he sways dangerously. It's a fraction of the size of the last, barely enough taller than Law, but the effort it takes leaves Law on the verge of passing out. Law doesn't bother with any last words, doesn't think he has the energy to even speak.

He lets his legs crumple beneath him when he gets close enough and reaches out with a shaking hand. The world ripples and twists around him, darkness oozing across his vision in dancing splotches but he can still make out Doflamingo lying crumpled amongst the the ruined stone. One last attack to stop Doflamingo's heart for good.

There's a final crackle of electricity, the _Counter-shock_ hitting. Law goes down.

His body weighs him down, broken and battered and slowly bleeding out, and Law gives into it. He lets go, slumping against the stone. His limbs are numb, cold with something that might be blood-loss or energy-loss or both at once. He can feel the bullets grinding inside him, spreading their poison through his bloodstream, but Law doesn't care. It doesn't matter now.

It's over. He's done.

_I did it Cora._

There's a shadow, a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Law can't breath. His insides twist, churning and grinding and tearing at the seams. No. No no _no no no_ -

"No." Law moans, as Doflamingo looms above him. He's not even smiling - his face perfectly and utterly blank. How could he- But the _Gamma-Knife- "Damn it!"_

Doflamingo raises his foot. _He's going to crush my head_ , Law thinks blankly, but he can't- He can't do anything. Not this time. He pushed himself too hard, can't do it again. This is it. Doflamingo stills, the moment of silence before the excecution stike. "Goodbye Law."

Then-

Straw Hat's there. He stops Doflamingo's foot inches from Law's face. Law can't see his face, but he can see the stillness in Straw Hat's frame, the tension in his skinny shoulders. There's a crack above him, Haki meeting Haki, and then the two of them are gone, the fight carrying them away. Law can see the clouds above them, hazy through the tears and blood and black spots in his eyes. They crawl along, carried by a distant wind they can't control.

Law coughs, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He stares up at the sky, listens to the quiet drip of his blood escaping his body and prays.

_Please Straw Hat. Please-_

Everything passes in flashes after that. He hears the crack of stone collapsing, but its a distant, muted thing, lost behind the slow drum of his own heart. Strong arms seize him and for a moment Law is weightless, as insubstantial and fleeting as smoke. Then he hits the ground and all he knows is pain. His eyes flutter, darkness sinking its hooks into him, and Law gives in.

Then there's someone talking in his ear, shouting. "-artholemew should be below us! We need to retreat now, before their fight spills over onto the flower feilds-"

No. No Law can't leave. He needs to be here. He needs to-

"Wait, he's waiting up! Trafalgar, can you hear me?" The arms shift, cradeling Law. He blinks blearily, fighting his way through the fog. There's a stranger staring down at him, blue eyed and blond. Law reaches, hand grabbing uselessly at their shoulder, too weak to get a grip. His mouth moves but nothing comes out. "What? What are you saying?"

_"...t'medon... Put-"_ Law's breath hitches, blood flooding his mouth. He chokes. _"Put me down."_

"What?" Nico Robin asks, appearing in the edge of Law's vision. "Doctor, you're injured. We need to retreat-"

Law shakes his head mutely. He gasps. "-no _no no._ I need to be here. I need to see it. I brought him here, if Straw- _Ha_. If Straw Hat dies I need to be here. I can't leave him."

"Trafalgar." Nico Robin's eyes are so old, so solemn. There's fear in those eyes, but also something deeper, calmer. Respect. Acceptance. What will come will come. Straw Hat will win or Nico Robin will die here with him. "Luffy came here of his own accord. He knew the risks. He wouldn't want you to die for him-"

Law shakes his head. He knows that, of course he knows that but- "Put me down. _Please._ "

The blond man sighs, but he's going to do it. Law can see it in his eyes. He exhales, slumping back into the stranger's arms, and feels himself gently touch the ground a moment later. "You go ahead, Nico Robin." The man says. "I'll stay with him."

"You're Trafalgar right?" A tiny voice says from by his elbow. Law blinks, tries to look, and grits his teeth when the movement threatens to make him black out again. Something shifts in his peripheral vision, and suddenly there's a tiny face staring at him from beside his head. The girl can't be more than a couple of inches tall, with a shocking mane of golden hair that spills down her back, framing her rosy cheeks.

Law wonders if he's hallucinating. He answers anyway. "Yeah"

"Violet said you helped save us. Did Doflamingo do this to you?" Law wheezes, and she seems to take that as an answer, because her tiny faces crumples, tears pooling on her cheeks. The tears fall freely, streaming down her face. Law wonders what it must be like to be able to cry so easily. "It's so terrible! How could they do something so awful to another person?"

Another tiny person appears, tugging at her sleeve. "Princess Mansherry, we have to go-"

"Just a second Leo." Mansherry mumbles, wiping her nose with her sleeve and sniffling. A tiny hand lands on Law's arm, no bigger than one of Law's fingertips, then Mansherry is sprinkling something on him. Law doesn't feel the tiny droplets hit through his ruined coat and all the blood drying on his skin, but the sudden rush of energy catches him completely off guard.

The holes that had been tearing him asunder suddenly quieten, agony fading away from a screaming cacophony to a dull roar and all of a sudden Law can breath easier, no longer choking on blood with every second breath. It's overwhelming. By the time Law gets his bearings again Mansherry is standing on his other side, flinching as she tries to look at his arm, her face pale and wan.

"Leo could you, um...?" She gestured blindly at Law's arm, not quite able to look at it. Leo's face is grim but he steps forward, holding out a tiny needle. Law watches with morbid fascination as Leo sews his severed arm back on - not feeling a single thing even as he watches the needle breach his skin, emerging once more pulling a black thread that seems to have come from nowhere. Leo makes a careful circuit of his arm, trying off the stitched with a neat little bow, and then Mansherry steps forward again. She presses a hand to her cheek, gathering a glistening tear on the tip of her finger and letting it fall on Law's arm.

He anticipates for the surge this time, but somehow the strength of it still catches him off guard. He stiffens, grimacing as everything flares, aching that much more. Law lets out a ragged breath, carefully loosening his muscles once more and slumping back into the dirt. He's still in a bad state, but it doesn't feel like he's at risk of bleeding out in the next couple of minutes. Probably. So long as he doesn't move.

"Good luck." Mansherry says, pressing her tiny hand against his arm, and then she's gone - vanishing with the rest of the group retreating down to the lower levels. After a few minutes only Law and the stranger remain, and together they wait, listening to the thunderous roar of shattering stone and watching plumes of debris rise into the air as Straw Hat and Doflmaingo tear each other apart just over the rise.

"I knew this would lead to something big." The man says, almost wistfully. "Soon as I saw Straw Hat."

"Should have left." Law grunts.

There's a light breathy noise, and Law takes a second to realize it's because the man is laughing. He's never heard a more narcissistic sound. "Guess I'm like you." The man says, shooting Law a wry look. "Got a death wish."

And well, there isn't much Law can say to that.

There's a terrible crash from the palace, one of the towers collapsing entirely as something tears through it. It zooms away, disappearing down into the chaos below. Law blinks, just catching up with what he'd seen. "Was that Doflamingo?"

The stranger opens his mouth, only for them to both stop and stare as a second shape flies from the castle, chasing Dolfamingo down. The man turns, peering over the side of the plateau. Law groans, trying to push himself up, and accepts the man's hand. He pulls Law closer to the edge. Dressrosa is in chaos, crowds roiling in the streets as its buildings give collapse in a wave beneath the encroaching walls of the Birdcage. Law'll be surprised if there's a single building standing by the end of it.

By the riverside he can just make out the effects of Straw Hat and Dolamingo's fight - buildings shattering almost at random and pieces of stone being sliced clean through as Doflamingo's threads do their deadly work. Law doesn't know how long he sits there watching. Time passes in strangled bursts as Law struggles to keep his focus, only to find his vision hazy and distant. He blinks, drawing himself back to the present, but can't bring himself to ask how long he was checked out.

There's a startled moment of silence from below, Dressrosa holding its breath. The stranger perks up, peering down at the street intently. "Did he manage to take Doflamingo down?"

Law shakes his head mutely, staring up at the Birdcage. His thoughts whirr quietly in the back of his head, carefully calculating how long the fight had been going, how much energy Straw Hat had put into his Haki. If he's not already running on fumes he will be soon and Doflamingo isn't done for yet. He presses his hands into the grass, straining, and lets out a ragged breath when he manages to get one of his knees beneath him.

The man tenses, shooting Law a narrow-eyed look. His hand strays to his sword, but he doesn't draw it. Law wonders what he did to earn such a gesture of trust. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting up here isn't helping anyone." Law bites out from between grit teeth. He shifts, trying to push himself to his feet, and swallows a cry when his arm alights like someones stuck him with a hot poker. There's a splatter as a new gout of blood hits the ground, bleeding freely from his arm once more. He topples, and it's only the man's hand on his shoulder that keeps him from falling completely.

"You're going to kill yourself." He says, a touch of irritation colouring his voice.

"Maybe." Law grunts, slowly heaving himself to his feet. The man's hand doesn't leave his shoulder, steadying him. "But I can't just fucking sit here."

"You definitely could." The man points out dryly, but doesn't try stop Law from standing. The world sways, ground swinging like a pendulum, and Law leans into the man's grip. It's the only steady thing he can feel. His eyes are focused on the street below. The street's around Doflamingo writhe like a living creature, monstrous arms of finely woven threads snaring anything that doesn't get out of the way fast enough. Doflamingo is moving west and- _There_ , ahead of him, a small cluster of people running through the streets. They switch directs abundantly, turning north, and Doflamingo veers after them.

They're heading in his direction, but Law can barely stand, let along meet them halfway. But maybe- He takes a deep breath, testing the well of energy deep in his core. Just enough. Maybe. It has to be enough. The _Room_ creeps from his skin reluctantly, expanding sluggishly. 

"Hey, wait- What are you-"

_"Shambles."_ Law mutters. For a moment he's in that in-between place, blue humming across his skin, so bright in his eyes its blinding. Then he lands in a heap on the street, Kikoku hitting the stone with a dull clatter. The group rears back, faltering in their charge, their eyes widening as they recognize him.

Law leans over, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and slowly pushes himself back up with shaking hands. He's sitting, but just barely. "How long's he got?"

"You're Trafalgar Law." The man at the front says. Straw Hat is slumped on his shoulder, his face pale and exhausted. Beaten and bloody, but alive. Law feels something inside him relax minutely. "Why- You're in an alliance with Straw Hat. What are you-"

"How long?" Law asks, eyes not leaving Straw Hat.

" _Oh._ Oh, um, three minutes. We've been doing out best to keep him away from Doflamingo but..."

"Leave him with me." Law says, fingers tightening around Kikoku's hilt. "I'll keep him safe." Nothing will happen to Straw Hat, not while Law still has breath in his lungs. He'll make sure of it.

The men share a glance, hesitating, but eventually the leader steps forward, laying Straw Hat out beside Law carefully. He pulls off his cape, gently folding it and placing it under Straw Hat's head. "You'll take care of him?" He asks, not looking at Law. Law nods solemnly. "Alright." The man stands, turning back to his fellows. "Turn around the lot of you! Tragalar Law's going to take care of Straw Hat! Meanwhile the rest of us are going to give Dolflamingo hell! What do you say!?"

They roar, swords thrust in the air, and then they're gone, charging back the way they had come. Law watches them go, wondering if any of them will survive the attempt. Probably not.

Moving is excruciating, but Law does it anyway. He drags himself over to Straw Hat, leaving a trail of blood smeared on the ruined stonework, and presses bloody fingers to his neck, counting. Law's breath leaves him in a rush and he leans back, letting his weight fall against a the remains of a ruined wall. "You'll live. Fool, what were you thinking using so much Haki?"

"You're alive." Straw Hat mumbles, and Law sighs, glancing down at him. One of his eyes has opened just a crack, peering at Law hazily. A second later it closes again. If Law hadn't just heard him speak he'd be sure he was out cold. 

"I thought you were asleep." Law replies quietly.

"Not asleep. Just... resting." Straw Hat says, letting out a tired breath. "Mm, Torao. I almost won. Did you see?"

"I saw." Law says, staring at the back of his hands, anything to keep from looking at Straw Hat. There's so much blood on his arm that he can barely see his skin, tattoo's hidden beneath a crust of drying blood. His eyes stray back to Straw Hat a moment later. There's a tiny furrow in his brow, face still faintly scrunched in concentration even exhausted and half asleep. It makes something inside him coil tight. Law looks away so he wont have to think about it.

"I'm gonna win. M'gonna beat him." Straw Hat opens his eyes, staring straight at Law with a painful intensity. Law stares at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. "You can't die, okay? Promise."

"Straw Hat-"

" _Torao._ " Law flinches. How does Straw Hat do that? How does he imbue that stupid nickname with so much sheer _intent?_ "You can't die."

"I-" The words catch in his throat. _I promise?_ No. Law has never intended to leave Dressrosa alive. He almost died trying to take down Doflamingo and he'd do it again without a second's hesitation. Why does Straw Hat care so much? They aren't friends. They're barely even allies. He doesn't owe Straw Hat anything. And yet-"I'll try." Law says.

Straw Hat lets out a breath, little more than an exhausted sigh, but Law knows he's pleased. Law stares ahead, counting the seconds, and tries not to think about what he'd just said. If anyone else had asked that of him he'd have told them to jump off the side of reverse mountain, but it hadn't been just anyone who'd asked him, had it? Straw Hat was the only one who would dare.

The shouting in the distance is only growing louder, noise swelling like a wave coming in, moving towards that inevitable crescendo - the moment everything changes. He can almost hear them praying, counting the seconds until Straw Hat's return. Some of them are actually counting - their voices hoarse and desperate, fleeing from Doflamingo's rein of terror even as they call for his defeat.

Straw Hat shifts, eyes opening once more. His hands are clenched by his side and Law wouldn't have to be a doctor to recognize the Haki pooling there, darkening the skin and leaving it gleaming. "Almost time?" Law asks quietly.

Straw Hat doesn't reply, but then he doesn't have to. More people take up the chant. _Ten. Nine-_

Law's eyes fix on the distant streets, tracking the coiling arms of Doflamingo's attack as they meander through the streets. He can see the blood on them even from here. There's a soft rustle behind him, and Law looks back to find Straw Hat sitting up, pulling his shirt back up his shoulder where it had started to slip. His scar stands out in stark contrast, even against his bruised skin. Law can still remember the pulse of Straw Hat's heart in his hands as Law sewed him back together, cajoling his battered lungs back to breathing. 

_Six. Five-_

Straw Hat stands, wisps of steam rising from his skin as it darkens, Haki blossoming from deep within his body. He cracks his knuckles, eyes set on Doflamingo. He's going to win this, Law thinks, and wonders when he became the sort of person that had faith in others.

_Four._

"Hang on." Law says, when Straw Hat steps forward. A Room shimmers around his hand, then bursts outwards, engulfing the street and quickly spanning outwards. "Let me give you a lift."

_Three. Two-_

Straw Hat inclines his head, and Law nods, giving him a weary smile.

_"Shambles."_

Then Straw Hat is gone, the Lady Violet landing in his place. Law lets out quiet breath, wondering how its possible for him to feel so at peace. Doflamingo could still win. Law's injuries could get the better of him and he could bite the bullet, but somehow that doesn't bother him. It's stupid, but he trusts Straw Hat. The odds are still in Doflamingo's favor, cold logic falling on his side, but Law has a feeling, gut deep and instinctual, that this time the numbers will be wrong. Straw Hat will win.

He leans back against the wall, Kikoku grasped loosely in his hands, and watches. When the time comes he spirits Rebecca away from the fight, leaving a cracked fragment of the road falling in her wake, and together they watch Straw Hat and Doflamingo rise into the air, the fight leading them ever higher.

Two go up. One comes down.

Doflamingo hits the ground with a force that cracks the streets, shaking Dressrosa like an earthquake. The shockwave ripples through the island like a ripple through a pond, the very foundations of the island lurching and jumping into the air. Doflamingo is somewhere in the wreckage of the street, but Law's eyes are fixed on the sky - on the tiny form wreathed in steam plummeting towards the ground.

Icarus' wings melted when he got too close to the sun, thrown back to earth by a cruel god. Straw Hat Luffy is sun-kissed and golden, but he's never had wings, so Law reaches out and catches him instead. It feels like the easiest thing in the world despite the miles between them. Law barely feels the toll of energy, too busy looking over the exhausted body pressed against his side. He breaths a sign of relief once he's sure Straw Hat's wounds aren't life threatening and can't find the energy to stop himself when his fingers wind gently through Straw Hat's tangled hair, brushing it out of his eyes.

Above them the Birdcage glistening, threads shining in the light as they slowly pull away, vanishing into nothing. Something wet runs down his cheek, his vision going fuzzy, but it doesn't matter. Law's not the only one crying.

Violet and Rebecca are crowded together, arms throws around each other as they spin, screaming and laughing, throwing their arms in the air as tears stream down their faces, splotchy and inelegant. Around them all of Dressrosa echos the sentiment, the streets bursting into a cacophony greater than any fear could every produce, screaming their defiance to the skies.

"He did it." Law murmurs, gaze fixed on Straw Hat's exhausted face. He looks so fragile like this, so young, and yet... "Cora, _he did it."_


	7. the days after

Afterwards, Cyros hides them away in a little cottage perched on one of the hills near the Palace. It's a small place and even smaller with all of them crammed in it. The remaining Straw Hat's stagger in together, Roronoa carrying Straw Hat over one shoulder as the rest limp inside. Bellamy has to be carried on a stretcher, and Cryos limps long with a noble sort of dignity even when he stumbles, his leg almost giving way beneath him before Nico Robin reaches over and steadies him.

Law makes it the few feet from the wagon to the door before collapsing on the first horizontal surface. Someone says something, tries to convince him to move, but Law's already gone. He closes his eyes and doesn't open them again for 16 hours.

The first three time's he wakes up he closes his eyes again and goes back to sleep. The fourth time the rumbling of his stomach forces him to finally open his eyes. While he was asleep someone had draped a blanket over him and shifted him to lie near the foot of the bed, and when Law looks up he can just make out bandaged fingers hanging over the side of the bed.

Its early in the morning - or late at night, Law isn't really sure which and he doesn't much care - dim rays of moonlight cutting a gentle path across the floor below the window. Law tries to sit up and lets out a pained grunt when he can't do much more than twitch. His body aches with a bone-deep weariness that lets him know he won't be getting up any time soon. Now that Law is awake the pain is starting to make itself known again, cutting through the haze of his exhaustion.

"Hungry?" A cheerful voice asks from the darkness. There's a whir and click as something lights up, and a moment later finds himself staring into a pair of glowing neon eyes. Franky winks, climbing to his feet, and swears under his breath when he accidentally knocks the bookshelf with his hip. Bits of Franky's skin have been torn back to expose the machinery beneath, broken during the fighting, and he's halfway through repairs if Law's amateur knowledge of mechanics is anything to go by. Which it isn't really, but anyone who's lived in a submarine learns how to insulate stray cables and seal fluid leaks, and some of whats going on beneath Franky's skin looks almost similar.

Law grunts, his mouth dry and gritty. There's a foul taste in the back of his mouth, stale and coppery - dried blood, Law realizes. Fuck he wants to brush his teeth, but somehow he suspects that spare toothbrushes hadn't been high on the priority list when they were escaping the city. He accepts the cup Franky hands him gratefully, only for it to slip from between his shaking fingers. Franky's quick reaction is the only thing that stops it spilling all over Law's chest.

"Ah ah! Careful. Flesh and blood takes a bit longer to repair than machinery." Franky says jovially, slowly pressing the cup back into Law's hand and making sure he has a good grip before letting go. Law huffs but doesn't have the energy to make a mean comment, instead sipping at the water. It doesn't get rid of the taste completely, but its better.

His eyelids start to grow heavy again and Law scowls, shaking his head, only to wince when the movement pulls something in his chest and makes everything flare hot and angry. He hisses. _"Fuck."_

Frankly laughs quietly, turning back to rummage through the cupboards. Law casts an eye over the other inhabitants of the cottage - there seems to be a sleeping body everywhere he looks, not a foot of floor left free. Straw Hat is sprawled over the bed, snoring loudly as the the blankets threaten to slip off the side entirely. Bellamy is lying on the floor across the room, Cryos curled up beneath a blanket of his own a couple of feet away. Roronoa is slumped against a wall, swords leaning against his chest even with his head bowed and his chest rising and falling with the gentle breath of slumber. Nico Robin and the sniper, Usopp, are tucked away in the corner, the space where Franky had been sitting now cold and empty. 

"How long has it been?" Law asks, his voice raspy and tired.

"Day and a half. Ish." Franky shrugs. A yellow beam passes over the counter, tracing a straight path between Franky's eyes and where ever he's looking. Law wonders if he should be shocked. Mostly he just feel's bemused. Of course the Straw Hat's carpenter would install flashlights in his own eyes. "Fell asleep for a while there, so I'm not 100% sure." He grins. "I'm not all metal, despite what people might think. Even I need some sleep every now and then."

Law grunts. "And Dressrosa?"

"Doing alright, apparently. Violet and the rest have been keeping us appraised. They're going to have to rebuild the whole city, but hey, they also elected that old king of theirs back on the throne so..." Franky shrugs. He turns around, carefully stepping through the haphazard puzzle of sleeping bodies and offering Law a bowl of something thick and wet. "The situations not great, but I think they'll get through it. They're a tough lot."

Law lifts the bowl to his lips. It smells like soup. Sort of. It also smells like its been slowly oxidizing on the inside of a can for the last decade. Law drinks it mechanically, taking small sips and waiting for his insides to stop roiling.

Franky is still talking, explaining something about the Marines and a broadcast and the neighboring countries sending aid. Law doesn't even notice he's fallen asleep until he's opening his eyes again, sun streaming in through the window.

Law drinks the bowl of something that Roronoa shoves in his direction, then forces Roronoa to help him sit up so that he can get a proper look at himself and assess the damage. Law is wrist deep in his own chest, scowling at the mess Doflamingo's bullets had left of his inside when the doctor shows up. The poor bastard takes one look at Law performing a medically impossible surgery with little more than his bare hands and wisely decides Law knows what he's doing.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" The man asks despairingly once he's finished checking over the rest. Nico Robins back had needed a fresh set of bandages, having bled through during the night, and Straw Hat is in for a couple of days of lying in bed, but no one was injured too badly. Except maybe Bellamy, but Law can't say he much cares if Bellamy dies.

Law shoots the doctor a sardonic look. "Could do with some opiates."

The man lets out a tremendous sigh but rummages around his bag and pulls out a bottle of pills. He sets it down beside Law's blanket. "Now remember, no more than-"

"Three a day, two hours after having eaten. Wait another three before eating again and visit a doctor if you find you can't stay awakes." Law says dryly, raising a brow at the man. "Is that all?"

The doctor throws up his hands, giving up on Law and turning back to the others. Law stops paying attention after that, focusing on the damage in his lungs. He spends another hour coaxing burst capillaries back together and seeking out every rupture that had been filling his lungs with blood before his hands start to shake too much for him to do anymore. Barely two hours of surgery and yet he's already exhausted - pushing himself against Doflamingo would take time to recover from.

Law swallows a pill dry, slumping back against the floor, and waits for the meds to kick in enough for him to fall asleep. He realizes just as he's drifting off that he doesn't know if Doflamingo is alive or dead. What's more startling is that he finds he doesn't actually care. Doflamingo has been defeated, cast down from his throne - he'll either spend the rest of his life in Impel Down or running from the Marines and bounty hunters alike.

Law had been so certain that he'd never rest until Doflamingo was dead, Kikoku buried in his chest. Now he just feels numb - the aches and pains of the world wearing him down until he's little more than a cracked shell, fragile and delicate. Or maybe that's just the drugs talking. Opiates to tend to have

quite the

effect...

-

Law wakes up hurting. He doesn't know how long its been, except that its dark again and his meds have worn off. He shifts, stifling a groan when the moving only makes it hurt worse. The bottle of pills by the leg of the bed suddenly seems very far away. Law stares at it dully for a couple of minutes, considering if he'd be able to keep a _Room_ activated while he sleeps. Injuries stop hurting within the boundaries of his _Rooms_ , surely if he just kept it on-

But no. As soon as he fell asleep the _Room_ would disappear and the pain would come back. He needs proper pain-killers. But, Law thinks, there's nothing to stop him using his powers to make it a little easier. The walls of a room light with a dim blue as a _Room_ creeps from his skin, extending just far enough to swallow the pill bottle. A flick of his finger sends it flying into his hand, rattling, and Law waste no time in knocking back another pill.

He slumps back down, letting out a frustrated noise when the holes in his chest flares up. The drugs seem to take an eternity to kick in and in the mean time Law lies there sore and uncomfortable. Resting his weight on his back presses on the wounds there, but every time he shifts his arm presses against the ground, which is even worse.

Law stares at the ceiling grouchily and resists the urge to kick something. He forces himself to relax and winces when that just shifts his weight. _Why does everything have to hurt so much?_

There's a quiet shuffling from above. A pair of sleepy eyes blink at him from the top of the bed, Straw Hat's hair somehow even more tousled and wild than usual. "Torao?" His yawn is wide enough to crack his jaw. "Y'lright?"

Law grunts, nodding minutely, staring firmly up at the ceiling. If he waits long enough the pain will go away. Straw Hat has different ideas - he crawls right to the edge of the bed, making grabby motions at Law. "What?" Law snaps quietly, staring suspiciously at his arm.

"C'mere." Straw Hat mumbles, his face half pressed to into the blankets. He paws at Law's shoulder until his finger's catch fabric and then he _pulls_. Law yelps, suddenly dragged back against the bed, and has to swallow a pained grunt as Straw Hat drags him up onto the bed, hauling him about as if he weighs nothing at all.

Straw Hat shuffles back, easing Law onto the bed, and Law can't help it - he sighs. The mattress is thin and firm but still infinitely more comfortable than the floor, and the linens are clean and soft. As soon as Law's vaguely settled Straw Hat rolls back, filling up all available space around Law. Law freezes.

"M'glad y'not dead." Straw Hat mumbles, still half asleep. He makes a sleepy noise, nuzzling deeper into the bed, not seeming to notice the fact he's pressed up against Law's side, his breath warm on Law's shoulder even through his bandages, his hair tickling Law's neck.

For a long moment Law lies there silently, frame fraught with tension, wondering if he should shove Straw Hat away, insist on returning to his position on the floor. But Straw Hat is already asleep, a the soft murmur of his breath giving way to quiet snoring, and even with Straw Hat elbowing him in the ribs the bed is still far more comfortable than the floor, the firm mattress heaven against his cracked ribs. He should get up anyway, shrug Straw Hat off, but his eyes start to slip closed before he can make up his mind to finally do it.

The next time Law wakes it's to a knee hitting him in the side as Straw Hat stumbles out of bed, making a hasty line towards where the samurai and his friend are busy emptying sacks full of food onto the table. Law rubs at his face, blinking as his eyes adjust to the sunlight, slowly pushing himself upright. Nico Robin meets his eye with an indecipherable smile, but nobody comments on where Law was sleeping. They gather around the table, busy discussing something, and after a moment Law steels himself, gritting his teeth against the pain, and slowly hauls himself up and stumbling to the table, grabbing his pill bottle on the way. 

He glances at Straw Hat, but Straw Hat doesn't say anything about where Law had been sleeping, too busy digging through the bags of food. Law can remember the events of the night before only blearily - Straw Hat yanking him up, mumbling against his neck as he slipped back to sleep. 

_I'm glad you're not dead._

Law shakes his head, looking away before his glance can turn into stare, and focuses on the food instead. Nobody brings up where Law has been sleeping, so in the end Law doesn't either, half convinced that it was just some strange fever dream. Eating solid foods takes a supreme amount of effort, and is all the more exhausting for the sight of Straw Hat inhaling anything that strays within arm reach. Law looks away, focusing on his own meal and slapping Straw Hat's hands away when they wander too close to Law's breakfast. Straw Hat's presence seems to devolve any meal into sheer pandemonium, and having only half his crew there to enable him doesn't seem to slow him down at all. 

"- it's better this way. I don't want her reputation to be stained by the things I did in the past." Cyros explains, looking tired and resigned. Law glances at him, trying to understand what he's going on about, then turns back to his breakfast instead. Something about Rebecca. And Riku. Law doesn't know and doesn't really care.

Straw Hat lets out an angry noise, ready to argue, only to get distracted by a side of ham. He points his finger at Cyros sternly, jerking his hand about as he makes his point, but if he actually says anything its lost through the chewing noises - bits of ham flying free and landing on the table. Straw Hat's new sycophant, Bartholomew, watches on in delirious awe and gasps when a piece of ham lands on the floor near his leg. He looks ready to pick it up and take it home as a souvenir.

"Its for the best." Cyros says finally, hands curling around the back of one of the chairs, his knuckles going white with the force of his grip. Law wonders if anyone else has notice how much it sounds like Cryos is still trying to convince himself. He sounds resolute, but he's hesitating.

There's the soft chime of a denden-mushi announcing a call. Cryos turns, grateful for the distraction, and brings the receiver to his ear. He frowns. Law watches him carefully - that can't mean anything good. "The Marines are on the move." Cyros announces. "Two more admirals have arrived, and it looks like they're finally mobilizing."

The cottage erupts into chaos, Straw Hat's laughter ringing over it all as the pirates scramble to get their things together and leave. Law grabs Kikoku, making sure his hat is jammed safely on his head, and stands. His coat is a lost cause, torn to rags in the fight and hopelessly stained with blood besides, and Law doesn't bother gathering the scraps. "I've got a ship waiting at the Eastern Port!" Bartholomew says, looking positively joyous at the prospect of being of service to Straw Hat. "Our allies have a plan to distract the Marines! Follow me!"

They don't make it to the edge of Carta Hill before the Marines are upon them, and then its a sprint to the ship - running pell-mell through the streets at Bartholomew gleeful direction. Straw Hat splits off only minutes after they encounter the Marines, shooting them all a cheerful grin as he jerks to a sudden stop. "I've got some things to settle! You guys go ahead!"

Law looks at him for a second, then nods, running on. Straw Hat will make his way to the ship before they leave, Law is certain of it, and in the mean time Law has other concerns. The streets are swarming with more Marines than a kicked anthill but only a fraction of them get close enough to be a threat. There seems to be a veritable army of helpful volunteers stepping into fight the Marines, distracting them long enough for them to slip past. The few that do make it though their odd escort don't stand a chance against the Straw Hats - going down before they have the chance to so much as raise their pistols.

They turn a corner and suddenly its a straight line to the harbor, Bartholomew's caricature of a ship floating proudly in the distance. The city is in ruins around them, the wreckage left by the Birdcage creating a jumped terrain of collapsed buildings and crumbling stone. Law grunts, straining to keep up with the others, and suddenly freeze's as he spots someone standing among the ruins.

Sengoku.

"Trafalgar, hurry up!" Roronoa snaps, sprinting past him. Law has a split second to make a decision. This isn't wise. Sengoku is a Marine admiral. But-

"I'll catch up!" Law shouts, and vanishes with a burst of _Room_. Sengoku looks up when he appears, landing roughly amongst the ruins, but he doesn't seem surprised. He sits on the edge of what was once a balcony, snacking on a bag of peanuts as if he hasn't a care in the world. 

"Hungry?" Sengoku asks, holding the bag out.

"No." Law says, coiled wire-tight. Kikoku seems to thrum in his hands, eager to be released from its sheath. "Talk."

Sengoku hums, turning his gaze up to watch the clouds float by. "I knew a man once. A solider, a friend as dear to me as my own son - if I ever had a son. He was a gentle child. A good man, once he grew up - one of the firmest believers in justice I've ever met. I'd hesitate to say that there was anyone I trusted more." Sengoku sighs. "He only ever lied to me once."

Law doesn't reply, standing tense and silent. There's a painful sort of intensity to Sengoku's gaze, grief obvious in his expression even all these years later.

"Four things were lost that day on Minion Island. The Barrel Pirates, the life of my trusted subordinate, the Ope-Ope fruit..." Sengoku's voice sharpens, eyes narrowing as he stares Law down. "And a child with Amber Lead Syndrome, a member the Donquixote family." 

"Yeah." Law admits coldly. "That was me."

"So its true then." Sengoku says darkly, dropping from his perch. "Rosinante gave his life up for a pirate."

Law flinches, glaring at the ground. He can't defend himself. Sengoku is right and they both knew it. Cora died for Law, though Law wishes every day that he hadn't. What was the point, sacrificing his life for a child who was already dying?

Sengoku turns, walking away, only to pause after a few steps. For a long moment he stands there, still and silent, staring straight ahead. When he speaks his voice sounds old, exhausted. Despite his position he's an old man, grey haired and tired. "He called me about you once, did you know? Spent what felt like an hour telling me about you. Wouldn't shut up."

Law looks down, not sure what to say. His hands clench around Kikoku's hilt, just to have something to hold on to.

"I tried to convince him to just hand you in to the next orphanage. Kid had been hanging on my every word since the day we met, yet this time he wouldn't hear a word of it. Told me he'd rather shoot himself in the foot and march around the garrison twenty times. I knew he was done for then." Sengoku lets out a long sigh, some of the tension in his shoulders collapsing. "Commander Donquixote wasn't the sort of man who'd die for a pirate. But Rosinante, Cora, he was the sort of man who'd die for his family. And he did, in the end."

Law sucks in a ragged breath. Sengoku glances back at him, just for a second, and then he's turning around again, walking onwards. He waves vaguely over his shoulder. "If you really care about Rosinante, then live." He calls. "He wouldn't want you to die avenging a ghost. He gave up his life to save you, don't let him have died for nothing."

Law stands there for a long moment, staring after Sengoku, and then shakes his head. His insides feel twisted and wrong, that eerie feeling of fragility amplified a hundredfold. Live, Straw Hat said. Sengoku said. And yet Law doesn't think he knows how. From the moment he could tie his shoes Amber Lead Syndrome has been hanging over his head - as a child he'd accepted the idea of his death, embraced it even. Cora hadn't changed that. He'd bought Law more time, but Law had always known it would never last. Doflamingo was too strong. He'd tried to plan around it, find ways of bringing Doflmaingo down without a direct fight, but he'd always known he'd eventually die trying to take Doflamingo's head.

But now... The Amber Lead Syndrome is gone, Doflamingo is defeated, and Cora has been avenged.

_You can't die, okay? Promise._

Law feels cut loose, directionless. What is he supposed to do now?

He's saved from finding out by the rubble beginning to shudder and lurch around him. A twisted piece of fence breaks free from the ruins a couple of feet to his left and suddenly floats upwards, spinning on its axis as it rises into the air. Bits and pieces of the rubble follow suit, rising in fragile clumps, and Law has to duck out of the way as entire walls and collapsed buildings slowly release their hold on gravity and begin to float upwards.

_Fujitora_ , Law realizes, glancing towards the harbor and letting a Room burst from his skin. He needs to be at the harbor 10 minutes ago.

Cavendish and Bartholomew are waiting at the stairs, guarding the last retreat of the pirates. Law steps out of the air next to them, drawing startled glances, then they turn their eyes forward once more, attention fixed on Fujitora. Behind him Law can just make out a figure sprinting across the now cleared streets, dodging between the last rising clumps of rubble.

"Hurry, Straw Hat!" Bartholomew shouts, waving anxiously.

Law just sighs when Straw Hat turns around, heading straight for Fujitora instead. He turns, wincing as he walks up the first step. Law grimaces. He isn't really ready to be moving this much. Bartholomew shoots him a glare. "Where are you going?"

"To the ship." Law replies flatly.

"But what about Straw Hat?" Bartholomew demands.

"He'll be fine." Law rolls his eyes. He glances back at Bartholomew and shoots him a derisive smirk. "Or don't you trust him?"

Bartholomew bristles, face flushing red. "Of course I trust him! Straw Hat is the best! He can beat anyone!"

"Then let's go." Law says blandly. Walking up the stairs takes far longer than it should, and by the end of it Law is panting and pale faces, leaning heavily on Kikoku for support. Then he reaches the top and freezes, gaping. There isn't just a ship waiting for them, there's a _fleet_.

There's a clamor behind them as the citizens of Dressrosa takes to the streets, flooding the area cleared by Fujitora's machinations - all of them hollering and shouting as they sprint towards the harbor, tossing themselves haphazardly in the way of any Marines still in the area. Straw Hat shows up a moment later, looking disgruntled as he'd hauled along by a bemused Roronoa.

They flee Dressrosa, the island slowly disappearing from view as the fleet cuts a path across the horizon, so many main masts in the air that it looks like they're standing in a forest. Once they've lost the Marines, the fleet drops anchor. Every captain of the fleet gathers together on the flagship, puffing out their chests with pride as they set forward to meet Straw Hat. Law feels something flop in his stomach as the numbers grow, not quiet able to believe his ears as one by one the captains announce their intentions to swear themselves to Straw Hat's service.

_5 ships, 2 fleets, and 5,700 people_ , Law thinks, incredulous. Who the fuck would ever entrust Straw Hat with that kind of man power? These people, apparently. And it's somehow worse for the fact that he can't even say he's that surprised. Straw Hat just has a way of winning people over.

"Ah." Straw Hat says, blinking at them. "Nah, I'm good."

That sets off an immediate round of denial, the captains all shouting over each other in their haste to convince Straw Hat. Every single one of them seems to be overflowing with demands _why_.

Straw Hat grins, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well if I said yes then I'd be captain of this grand fleet, yeah?"

"Yes!"

"I don't want that." Straw Hat says bluntly. He waves his hand when the captains starts to argue again, then begins a rambling speech about he's going to be the pirate king and how he can't be the pirate king if its so cramped, and anyway he doesn't want to be great! The captains become steadily more puzzled, glancing at each other nervously as Straw Hat waffles on. "Anyway!" Straw Hat declares. "We're friends! If you guys are ever in trouble just shout and we'll come help you out! Don't worry about the small stuff!"

Law frowns, completely lost, but then he'd given up trying to understand what was going on in Straw Hat's head years ago. Bartholomew seems to have some idea of whats going on - his slavish admiration somehow translating Straw Hat's rambling into a statement that makes sense - because there are tears in his eyes. "Straw Hat!" Bartholomew sobs. "I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"

He reaches for a bottle, pouring sake into a sakazuki, and before Straw Hat can get a word in edgewise is kneeling in front of him, raising the glass. The rest of the captains follow suit, raising their glasses and pledging their allegiance even as Straw Hat scowls and shouts at them to stop.

"Too bad!" Cavendish cries, knocking back his sake. "This is something we're going to do and there's nothing you can do to stop us!"

Straw Hat looks so disgruntled that Law can't help it. He chuckles. Straw Hat jerks around, glaring, and falters when he realizes who's laughing. The rest of the pirates take that as a cue, because all of a sudden they're cheering, calling for people to start to haul up supplies from below - barrels of sake, rum, and enough food fit for a feast as some cheerful soul takes up an instrument and all of a sudden its a party in full swing.

By the time Law looks up again, Straw Hat has been swallowed by the party, tankard in hand and his arm cheerfully thrown around a stranger's shoulder as he shouts at the top his lungs along to a song none of the pirates actually seem to know the words to. Straw Hat catches meets his eyes through the crowd and smiles. Then he's gone once more, lost amongst the crowd.

-

It feels like after Dressrosa things should be over. Doflamingo is defeated, Law has won, and things are finally at an end. The truth of it that Law feels more lost than ever and with Zou weeks away he has far too much time free to spend thinking.

His thoughts plague him like hounds snapping at his heels, dogging him with question he can't answer. Law feels restless, anxious, and he deals with it the best way he knows how - by pretending the issue doesn't exist.

He's still injured and exhausted, and Law makes the most of it, napping the hours away until he's bleary eyed and groggy, barely able to remember that day it is. He avoids contact with the crew, their ceaseless good cheer grating his already frayed nerves, and isolates himself as best he can on a ship where he's just one of many passengers.

For the most part it works. Bartholomew's crew are strangers and they don't care where he is as long as he's not snooping around their treasury or trying to set their ship on fire. The Straw Hat's are slightly less easy to avoid, but even they seem to give Law a respectful sort of distance. A couple of times he wakes up from napping on the main deck to find Nico Robin or Roronoa watching him curiously from across the way, but Nico Robin just smiles and walks away without saying anything and Roronoa only grunts and shuts his eyes, returning to his own nap.

Straw Hat seeks him out every now and then, dragging him along to meals when Law threatens to sleep through them or peppering him with questions about his powers and Zou and _where's your submarine? Are we going to see it soon? That's so cool!_

Law slouches at one end of the table, as far as he can get from the general crowd, and ignores the conversation as best he can, answering with single words or impatient grunts whenever he can. Bartholomew's crew begs for Straw Hat to recount the happenings of Dressrosa one more time, like they have at every meal - nevermind that most of them had actually _been there too_. Straw Hat regales them with the story gleefully every time, only to get distracted and end up talking about something else all together, instead talking about Alabaster, Moriah's Ghost Ship or even Fishman Island. He never seems to get past when he was fighting in the Colosseum before being distracted telling another story, and Law wonders if it isn't intentional. The he takes a step back, thinks about what he was just thinking and watches Straw Hat's cheeks bulge as he takes part in a competition to see who can drink the most mayonnaise, and carefully rescinds anything he's ever thought about Straw Hat's intelligence.

Its strange that out of the lot the Straw Hat's are actually the most tolerable company at the table. Bartholomew's crew are just as loud and energetic as him, but even they regard Law with a careful mix of wary respect and thinly concealed distaste. Law weathers their looks indifferently, raising a brow challengingly whenever someone stares too long and smirking when they inevitably look away first.

Nico Robin and Roronoa are usually composed, their presence quiet and innocuous, but even the more boisterous of the Straw Hats seem positively companionable compared to the rabble of Bartholomew's crew. The sniper is still a little wary of Law, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye during meals and snapping his head back down when Law meets his eyes, but Law doesn't pay him any mind. Law even manages to surprise himself by having a actually tolerable conversation with Franky.

"- no but see, the wiring's is embedded directly into the nerve endings. I had to make up a pseudo-nerve to connect them, but this baby's a fully integrated prosthetic. Don't you dare think I'd be caught dead in anything less." Franky says, pulling open a compartment in his chest to show Law the wiring. Beneath the densely packed components and neat lines of wiring Law can just make out a glimpse of flesh beneath - muscles red and slick, tightening and relaxing exposed to the open air.

"What do you use to keep it clean?" Law asks, examining it intently. They're drawing odd looks from the rest of the table - including Usopp, who started looking vaguely green in the face once Franky started opening pieces of himself for Law to get a better look. "Normal disinfectants would have long term side effects, not to mention the potential for infection if it upsets the microbiome of your skin. Even specialized formulas are a risk, you could end up with second degree corrosion of the muscles-"

" _Please._ " Franky grins, pushing up sunglasses up onto his head. "As if. All I had to do was alter my body chemistry. Soon as the compartment is closed it starts building up a gas that inhibits any microbes."

Law blinks, leaning back, and feels something alight in his eyes. Franky's specialization is mechanics, but his knowledge of applied biochemistry and technological neural-integration is enough to give even Law a run for his money. If medicine had ever caught his interest he'd no doubt be one of the best doctors in the world, good enough to even rival Law himself perhaps, but as it is his interest in medicine strays only as far as what he needs to keep his mechanical monstrosity of a body functioning.

"Boorring!" Straw Hat whines, flopping into the seat beside them. "Hey, hey, Franky, can you shoot lazers from your eyes? Can you turn into a mega-man robot again?"

Franky laughs, a careless uproarious noise, and proceeds to do just that, earning adoring cheers from Straw Hat, Usopp, and Bartholomew's crew as he wheels around the mess. Someone brings out a bag of potatoes from the kitchen and Law gets the dubious honor of watching Franky explode potatoes with his eye-lazers. Bartholomew's crew are taking turns throwing them in the air in ever more precarious tests of Franky's accuracy.

Law leans back against the wall, not quiet sure what the fuck is going on, while Straw Hat falls out of his seat a few feet away because he's laughing too hard to stay upright. Nico Robin meets his eye from where she's sitting at the table, looking positively graceful in the midst of all this chaos. She smiles, wry and amused, then turns to watch Franky explode another potato, flexing and shooting a grin at the crowd when it bursts into charred scraps. There's something inordinately fond about the look in her eyes.

There's a clink on the table beside him as Roronoa sets down a jug of sake. He looks completely unfazed by whats happening across the room as he pours himself a glass and knocks it back, calm as anything. He catches Law looking and raises a brow. He holds out the bottle. "Sake?"

Another potato explodes across the room, stray pieces hitting the wall and ceiling. Law takes the bottle, pouring until his glass is close to overflowing, and takes a deep deep drink. 

The Straw Hats are odd ones, that Law will concede, but he'd coming to the rather forgone conclusion that they're actually... okay, as far as people go. Usually Law can barely tolerate his own crew, let alone anyone else, but the Straw Hats make him want to claw his own eyes out less than the rest of his current company. They're a bizarre lot, and Straw Hat is an enigma, even among them. A cheerful lunatic, Law might once have called him, and probably still would, but there's more to him than meets the eye, moments of clear, crystalline insight in the mist of all the chaos and tomfoolery, rare though they are. Law's not quiet sure what to make of him. His mind lingers on that conversation in Dressrosa, the way Straw Hat had looked at him even as he lay collapsed in the rubble of the street, to exhausted to even move. That night on Carta Hill, sleepy words mumbled against his neck in the dead of night. _You can't die, okay? Promise._

_I'm glad you're not dead_

Law doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why Straw Hat cares so much, why he risked his own life and those of his crew just to save Law, even when Law spat and snarled and threatened to tear him to pieces for it. He doesn't understand why Straw Hat keeps coming back, seeking out Law again and again, grinning and bounding over whenever he spots Law on deck. He never seems to notice the fact that Bartholomew's men avoid Law, that even his own people give Law space, bouncing over and inserting himself at Law's side like it's nothing, badgering him about meal times or peppering him with questions, inviting him to join whatever mayhem the Straw Hats have latest brewed up, never seeming the least bit put out when Law refuses. Just the opposite, when Law shuts him down and closes his eyes again, intent on returning to his nap, Straw Hat just laughs, slapping Law on the shoulder and cheerfully wishing him a good snooze before running off to rough house with the sniper or Bartholomew's crew. 

It's... odd. Uncomfortable. Law cultivates his unapproachability like another man might sharpen his sword, feeding it with sharp looks and and even sharper reputation. The men on Bartholomew's ship quickly get the message, leaving Law well alone, but Law's never met anyone as intent on violating the careful sphere of distance around him as Straw Hat - and for the life of him he can't tell if it's because Straw Hat doesn't notice Law's attempts to discourage him, or whether he just doesn't care. 

The thought nags at him like an itch beneath his sky, a constant query of _why why why_ , but no answers ever come. Straw Hat certainly doesn't explain himself, and Law finds himself having to force the topic from his mind to keep from tearing himself to bits over it. There are few distractions aboard Bartholomew's ship, and more and more often Law finds himself napping to try and pass the time. For a while it works. Hours pass in a blur, his injuries leaving him exhausted and in desperate need of rest, but eventually even that begins to wane, Law's insomnia returning in full force. The first time he tries to force himself back to sleep after waking, he dreams, waking up shaking and with a cold sweat on his chest, the stench of old blood still thick in his senses. 

He lies on the deck for long hours each night, too keyed up and restless to sleep but too stubborn to give in and go find something to do. His thoughts spin in circles, biting their own tails like the oroboros. He keeps coming back to what Sengoku had said, to that exhausted promise Straw Hat had tried to extract from him.

_If you really care about Rosinante, then live. You can't die, okay? Promise._

And all Law can think of is Cora's stupid smile, blood dripping down his face even as he grins and ruffles Law's hair. _Hey Law, you know I love you, right?_

_Hey Law, you know I love-_

_You know I love-_

_Marine Code 01746. Commander Donquixote Rocinante-_

_Laawww, don't walk so fast! You know I can't keep up! Lami cries, tugging on his sleeve. She sniffles, tears already welling in her eyes, and Law softens a bit. He leans down, arms sneaking around her middle, and hauls her up, grunting. How can she weigh so much when she's still so little? She's going to be so heavy once she's grown up-_

_You'll come back right? She asks, her face pale and blotchy. Her eyes are red, threatening to tear up, but she rubs at her eyes stubbornly, forcing it back down. She was so brave._

_I promise. Law says. I just have to go talked to Sister Anjolie. I'll be back before you know it._

_And Law had hurried, had smiled at Sister Anjolie and told her to go on ahead. Lami was waiting at home and Law couldn't leave her. Except she wasn't waiting, was she? Because the hospital was on fire (Lami was inside, oh god she was still still inside. Lami-) and there were bodies cooling by the front gates, blood still warm and oozing from the bullet holes in the center of their foreheads._

_He'd clutched at their coats, hands shaking so hard it felt like the fabric would tear between his fingers as he begged and pleaded for them to get up even as his inner doctor wrote up a diagnosis. One wound to the frontal bone, 2 centimetre diameter, piecing the brain. Dead on impact-_

_"Dad please. Get up, get up please-"_

_A wet thump as something hits the outside of the chest, slowly sliding down the side. The gunshot still echos in his ears, Law's body shaking with the force of it as he stares blankly at the walls of the chest. Cora's breathing is wet and ragged, only growing weaker-_

Law shudders, pressing himself back against the cool wall until he feels tight and crowded. Then he breaths, at first ragged and panicked, but then slower, more controlled. When he's gathered the shredded remains of his composure once more he leans forward, letting his head fall into his hands, and slowly, carefully, locks it all away again.

No, Law thinks. No more sleep.

Instead he goes in search of coffee, desperately glad that its such as hellish hour of the morning that no one else is awake. He sits in the mess for long hours, drinking cup after cup of coffee and reading the newspaper back to back just for something to drown out the quiet ticking of the clock.

When the rest of the crew start to stir, Law retreats to the crows nest. After about another hour he hears Straw Hat bounding on the main deck, chatting loudly with his crew as he searches for Law. "Did anyone see Torao? No? _Shishishi!_ He must still be sleeping!"

There's a clatter as the Straw Hats disappear into the mess, leaving Bartholomew's crew on deck. "Where is Trafalgar?" One asks, shooting a wary look around the deck. "Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him all day. It ain't right if you ask me."

"Good thing nobody asked you." Another replies. "It's just as well. Give's me the fucking creeps, that guy. Did you hear that he gave a hundred hearts to the Marines to become Shichibukai? What sort of pirate does that? Just think, he could cut you up in your sleep and you'd never know-"

"Enough gossiping." Another voice snaps. "The decks ain't gonna scrub themselves. Cap'n wants the decks spotless the next time the Straw Hats come on deck."

One of the men groans. "You'd think if the cap'n liked Straw Hat-sama that much he'd just fu-"

There's a thwacking sound and a pained yell. "You know it ain't like that. Anyway, cap'n hears you talking like that and he'll cut your throat. Go on then, scrub the decks, and when you're done I'll bring up a bottle of rum - my treat."

Law rolls his eyes, settling back in the crows nest. His newfound reputation is an unintentional side-effect of his bid for Shihibukai and to a certain degree it's amusing. Even hardened pirates of the New World think twice about crossing swords with him, and it's certainly accorded him far more wary respect among the other pirate crews... and about twice that much loathing. For every pirate that goes running at the sight of him there are another two eager to prove themselves by taking down the mighty Trafalgar Law, ridding the world of his treacherous carcass.

Law hums beneath his breath, wondering if Bartholomew's crew will try anything. Probably not. Bartholomew is far too enamored with Straw Hat to try attacking one of his 'friends', and even if they do Law isn't worried. Save Bartholomew himself there's nobody from his crew that would put up a challenged if Law had to take care of them.

Law listens to the wet swish of the mops on the decks and the low grumble of conversation, waiting till the door finally clicks shut behind them, and sighs, relaxing. He stares up at the faint clouds in the distance, cast in a bloody orange as dawn breaks on the horizon, and wonders how much longer he'll be able to keep this up. These last few days he's sleep more than he usually does in weeks and yet he feels more exhausted than ever. He feels anxious, on edge, and nothing he does seems to fix it.

Law spends the day on top of the crows perch, listening to the groaning of the ropes and the chatter of the crew down below. He listens to the Straw Hats laughing and rough housing on the main deck, the crows nest swaying gently from side to side, and closes his eyes again. He wont sleep, can't, but at the very least he can close his eyes and pretend. Instead he thinks of medical texts, of the newest experimental procedures proposed by the East Blue medical journal, and runs himself though how it would work, calculating risk factors. After a few hours even that begins to bore him, and Law resorts to staring restlessly at the rigging, scowling when his thoughts start to stray in directions he'd rather avoid.

Later, when the afternoon is slowly giving way to evening and slight patter of rain that had started half an hour ago grows even stronger, Law secretes himself away in the library. A bell rings, sounding dinner, and there's a great din as the crew all go racing through the ship. Law watches them run past the open doors to the library but doesn't get up, leaning back into his seat by the window and listening to the wind throw the rain up against the glass. His insides twist at the thought of missing another meal, hunger a low ache in his body, but Law is long used to going without and he shoves the feeling down.

He feels on edge, tense, and in no mood for company. The Straw Hats are exhausting at the best of time and Law doesn't have the energy or patience to put of with Straw Hat's barrage of inane questions, Nico Robin's knowing looks, or the irritating sycophancy that Bartholomew's crew defaults to whenever they're in the same room as the Straw Hats. The thought of having to make idle chitchat and meaningless conversation about the state of the weather is physically repulsive.

Bartholomew's ship has a miserable library, but Law makes do with what he's got. He pilfers a couple of text's from the ships doctor and holes himself up out of the way of the rest of the ship's passengers, hoping to waste a couple of hours. A couple of the books are actually new editions and Law devours them with a ravenous interest, blinking when he looks up to find the sun descending towards the horizon and Nico Robin sitting in the chair opposite him.

Law tenses, wondering when she'd come in. The drugs must really be messing with him if he's so far gone as to miss her entrance. He eyes her for a moment, wondering what it would take to make her go away. Eventually his eyes settle on the thick volume of poetry in her hands. "Valuvius?" Law comments dryly.

She tilts her head, not quite smiling, and reads _"- and on that seventh day the world went dark and the widows cried, for they knew the end was upon them. The streets ran red with the blood of the innocent, led like lambs to the slaughter, and they cried 'Oh God, does thou dispise us? Does thou see the suffering of our women, the crying of our dying babes, and laugh?' No God replied that day, though their screams grew ever louder, their cries-"_

"Enough." Law snaps. He can feel something shaking in his chest, breaking apart, and all of a sudden he's back in Flevance, crawling deeper into the corpses, holding his breath when the guards walk past, still and silent and hoping the frantic beating of his heart wont give him away. It's- It's- Law takes a deep breath, centers himself.

"I apologize." Nico Robin says. "I find his poetry comforting. I knows other always don't feel the same way."

"Ohara, yeah?" Law says coldly, breathing through the last waves of it.

"Yes." Nico Robin says, voice calm and steady but oh so fucking sad. "I heard about what happened to Flevance. My condolences."

_Your condolences wont bring back the dead, wont bring back my mother, my father, my sister,_ Law wants to snap. And he would probably cut anyone else for saying it, but Nico Robin knows, she's been there too - and if anyone has the right to talk about Flevance it's her.

"Fuck the World Government." Law spits, not trying to hide the hatred in his voice.

"Fuck the World Government." Nico Robin agrees.

The stare at one another for a moment, Nico Robin's expression unreadable, but eventually she turns back to her book. After a tense moment Law does as well, but he can't help watching her out of the corner of his eye. She flips the page of her book, her expression neither happy or sad, eyes tracing lines back and forth across the page. Almost an hour later she finally puts the book down, rising from her chair and stretching her arms, gracefully shaking the tension loose from her shoulders. 

"I think it's time for me to head to bed." She says, inclining her head at Law. "It's rather late."

Law hums, flipping the page of his book, but doesn't respond. She watches him for a moment. "Bartholomew-san said he'd set aside a hammock for you with the rest of us." She says neutrally, voice mild as she watching his reaction.

"I'm good." Law says shortly. There's little he would rather do less than sleep right now, doesn't think he could if he tried, and the thought of bunking with the Straw Hats is about as appealing as throwing himself overboard into the storming sea.

Nico Robin makes an agreeable noise, not sounding surprised, and eventually turns to go. "Goodnight, Trafalgar-san." She says, pausing by the door.

Law doesn't look up from the clean lines of the procedure diagram, staring at it long enough to engrave the imagine in his memory permanently. It's well drawn, the lines neat and clean, but there are a few critical errors about the structure of the nerves' sensory endings. The seconds stretch on slowly, tense and silent, and eventually Law makes an annoyed noise and looks up, but Nico Robin is long gone. He hadn't heard her walk away.

The book she'd been reading sits on the table innocuously, and Law glares at it, lifting his own book once more - but he can't focus. The book seems to taunt him, a distracting presences in his peripheral vision, and Law finds his eyes straying to it again and again. He scowls, snapping his book shut, and glowers at it.

Valuvius is about as pretentious as they come - some middle class fuck who never set foot off his island or lift a finger for anything in his fat indolent life, and yet he's acclaimed as one of the best poets in any Blue, one of the few who can truly capture the magnificence and suffering of the human condition. Law hates his poetry on principle, and the one time Bepo had convinced him to try read it he'd gotten half a chapter in and then had the book vented out an airlock.

Law glares at it for long moments, then makes a noise of furious frustration and stomps over to pick it up. He flips open the cover with a vengeful sense of determination, stubbornly set on discovering just how it had managed to evoke such an intense response. A single paragraph had been enough to turn him into a floundering wreck and Law has never been one to give up without a fight.

_Tales of a Damned Soul_ , the cover reads, and its exactly as depressing and pretentiously-poetic as Valuvius always is. Law slogs through six damn chapters of the stuff, hating it more with every line, but it never evokes the same reaction it did when Nico Robin read it, even when Law reaches the exact same paragraph. Law puts the book away after that, abandoning it in favor of a medical treatise - at least that only describes people dying in hideous ways in graphic detail rather than fucking waxing poetic about it.

_And in that moment, before his last stuttering breath, man sees life as it truly is - god's greatest curse and the devil's greatest gift. A fate decided only by man himself._

"Fucking pretentious." Law grumbles, but the line sticks with him none the less. He tries to read for another hour before giving up, stubbornly skimming over the same lines again and again, always losing his place. Law slams the book shut, glaring at the cover, and slouches back into his chair, glaring at the library.

"Coffee." Law snaps, after a minute of sitting in glowering silence, oppressed by the weight of his own ill temper. He doesn't sleep much that night.

-

The rain doesn't abate the next day, growing into the full-blown storm. Law peeks out one window long enough to ascertain that its bucketing down, ignoring his own reflection in the glass and the growing bags under his eyes, and turns around to meet the day with as much ill grace as he can muster. The storm drives the Straw Hats inside, making it increasingly difficult to avoid them, and Law is forced to abandon the library when he finds both Robin and Franky in there, chatting amiably over a pot of tea. Law doesn't resent Nico Robin and the memories she evokes, but neither is eager for another conversation with her.

There's something about her that leaves Law feeling vaguely on edge. Maybe it's because she always looks like she knows so much, like she looks at him and see's right through him. Maybe its just that she like such god-awful poetry or openly admits to disliking even the smell of coffee.

(Maybe its because she remind him of Ohara, of Flevance, and there's only so many times Law can think about those in one day before drowning beneath the weight of his rage.

Before, it felt like he could keep his head above the waves, treading water as he counts down the days until Doflamingo is dead. Now he doesn't even have that. He's lost his anchor and now every ripple threatens to drown him.)

Whatever it is, Law's favored hiding place is now off the list. He wanders around the ship aimlessly for a while, heading in the opposite direction whenever he hears voices, and eventually finds himself in the hull, lying below one of the low window's that just brushes the edge of the water, waves lapping against the glass. He naps for a few hours, actually managing to get a decent rest, and tells himself it's not because the sound of the waves against the glass reminds him of his room on the _Polar Tang_.

Law wakes up half-expecting to hear Bepo's timid knocking on his door, Penguin and Sachi sniping at each other down the corridor, and pretends he isn't disappointed when he opens his eyes and see's a stranger's ship instead. How pathetic. He rubs roughly at his face, tugs his hat down over his eyes once more, and goes back to sleep.

It's dark out when Law wakes again, some ungodly hour between night and morning when all reasonable people would be asleep. Law rolls over, indulging in a moment of denial, but he knows he wont be able to get back to sleep. His stomach grumbles painfully, reminding him acutely that he hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. He could tough it out and go back to sleep, has done so before, but just because he can doesn't mean he particularly wants to.

Law hauls himself to his feet, scowling at his rumpled reflection in the glass, and ventures out to go find some food.

The mess hall is almost eerie at night, the silence oppressive. The kitchen is neat and clean, but nowhere near the almost obsessive standards of the _Thousand Sunny_ or the organized mess of the _Polar Tang's_ kitchen. He hesitates before entering the kitchen. Food and freshwater are precious resources on a ship, and there's little that can turn a crew against you faster than stealing their supplies. Bartholomew's people had been generous so far, but that might not extend to Law stealing into their kitchen in the middle of the night and taking their food. Fuck, this is why he hates being a passenger on other ships. There's so much fucking politics involved.

"Is someone- Torao! Are you hungry too?" Straw Hat blinks at him sleepily from the door to the mess, still yawning and scrubbing at his eyes. Law tenses slightly as he plods over, but Straw Hat passes right by him, squeezing around him to get into the kitchen and making a beeline for the cupboard. He opens it, squinting at the content, and then draws out a massive basket with an flowery note pinned to the front. Law can just make it out.

_Midnight snack <3 Have as much as you like, Straw Hats~~!_

"Barty's so weird." Straw Hat grumbles, swinging up to sit on the kitchen counter, already rummaging through the basket. He grabs an apple, taking a great crunching bite, then blinks at Law, as if only just realizing he's still standing there. "Huh? What are you waiting for? I thought you were hungry."

Straw Hat nudges the basket, still staring at Law, and eventually Law gives in, the temptation of food drawing him in. "Ah!" Straw Hat says, already riffling through the basket for more. "Pastries!" He shoves one in his mouth, making short work of it in two big bites, and is in the process of inhaling a second when he turns back to Law.

Law spots a bowl of rice in the basket and reaches for that. Law's too hungry to care much for the quality of the food, wolfing it down quickly, but even then he'll admit it's half decent. He finished the bowl and hesitates. Law should try and go back to sleep, reset his sleep cycle, but the thought of spending another three hours lying there restlessly holds no appeal. Instead he crosses the kitchen and turns on the coffee machine.

"Robin said she thought she'd upset you." Straw Hat says eventually, polishing off another apple. He leans back against the wall, feet kicking in front of him. For all intents and purposes it's an innocent question, but Law hates talks like these. People and their fucking _sentiment._

"No." Law replies shortly, watching the drip drip drip of the coffee machine and counting the seconds until he can escape the kitchen and this conversation entirely. "She didn't."

Straw Hat takes another enormous bite of his apple. "Hmm, that's good! Hey, who do you think would win a fight - you or Zoro? You guys should spar! I bet it'd be super fun!"

"What?" Law asks, completely blindsided. "You're gonna let it go, just like that?"

"Hm?" Straw Hat blinks. "You said she didn't, so its fine right? What more is there to say?"

"Don't you-" _care? Want to know?_ People are usually more insistent than this, wanting to talk about _emotions_ , and _healthy expressions of past trauma, god Law, you're a fucking mess._ At the very least Law expected some commentary on the fact he'd sequestered himself away from the crew for two days.

"No." Straw Hat says, waving him off. "It's fine. Robin says its okay and you says its okay and that means everything's good, right?"

"It's really that easy?" Law asks, not quite able to wrap his head around it. "Aren't you curious?" He kept waiting for Straw Hat to asking him about Cora. It's been almost a week since the fight in the palace, and Doflamingo had said enough for anyone to start making conclusions, and yet Straw Hat hadn't tried to bring it up once.

Straw Hat blinks at him. For a brief second his expression is intent, almost approaching serious. "Mm, I guess. But I don't wan't to know unless you want to tell me." He shrugs, taking another bite of his pastry, then grins, eyes alight with unholy glee. "Hang on, you made the centaur guys on Punk Hazard right? Does that mean you can turn anyone into a centaur? Could you turn Zoro into a _mermaid_?"

"Straw Hat-ya-"

"Luffy." Straw Hat corrects, snagging an apple from the picnic basket and tossing it towards Law. Law catches it numbly, still sort of lost. He stares at the apple in his hands, floundering.

_You can't die, okay? Promise._

Law doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why they're standing here in the kitchen at 3am. Doesn't understand what he's doing on Bartholomew's ship. Doesn't understand what hes doing here, right now, _alive_ , when by all logic he should have died on Dressrosa. Doesn't understand why Straw Hat fought so fucking hard to save his life, why he bothered at all, or why he's standing here now, throwing apples at Law and pretending that this is all- What? All right? Okay?

Nothing's okay. Nothing has ever been okay. Or maybe things are the most okay they've ever been - with Law alive and Doflamingo behind bars. Law doesn't know how to tell the difference, isn't sure he could if he tried.

His fingers tighten around the apple until his nails press divots in the skin, juice running down between his fingers. "Why?" Law asks, staring at Straw Hat.

Straw Hat blinks, baffled. "Why what?"

"Why do you care? Why did you save me on Dressrosa-"

_You can't die, okay? Promise. I'm glad you're not dead._

"- Why are you doing all this?" Law says finally, expression wretched. He feels so fragile, just another shattered thing held together with so much tape. Pieces of him keep slipping away, and soon Law fears there won't be anything left. He holds onto as much of himself as he can and glares at Straw Hat, channeling all that helpless fury at stupid, infuriating man.

"Do I have to have a reason?" Straw Hat asks, looking more bemused than anything. He takes a bite out of an apple, the crunch obscenely loud in the quiet kitchen.

"Yes." Law snaps.

Straw Hat shrugs. "You're my friend."

"I'm not." Law snarls, shooting Straw Hat a poisonous glare. "We barely know each other. We're strangers, just working together because we happen so share the same goals-"

"We do know each other." Straw Hat interrupts, staring at Law intently. "You saved my life."

_"Two years ago."_ Law says, pinching the bridge of his nose. God, he's so exhausted. "It was nothing. A whim. I thought it would be useful if you owed me a favor-"

"That's a lie." Straw Hat says bluntly. "If that were true you would have tried to be all friendly, make me like you so that you could ask me for stuff later. I've seen people like that. You're not one of them."

_"You don't know me!"_ Law hisses.

Straw Hat's smile is a beaming, brilliant thing and it makes Law want to flinch. "You're Torao." He says. "You're a good doctor. You saved my life once for no reason. You don't like bread. You live on a submarine with a bear. You're _really good_ at fighting, even if you still haven't sparred with me-" He pouts, looking a little put out, but brightens, ticking off another finger. "-You helped those kids then made sure they got home safe-"

"Shut up." Law snaps, but Straw Hat just speaks over him.

"You like coffee a lot, even though Chopper says you shouldn't drink as much. You don't sleep well, but spend a lot of time napping to make up for it so its okay. You like reading, but just fancy doctor stuff-"

_"Stop!"_

Straw Hat blinks, but quietens, watching Law with an unreadable look. "You're a good person, Torao. I don't have to know everything about you to know that."

Law stares at him, struck silent, then abruptly takes a couple of stumbling steps backwards until he's leaning against the kitchen counter. He feels unsteady, like the world might give way beneath his feet.

"I don't-" Law takes a shuddering breath, switches tracks. "Why did you ask me that, back in Dressroa? Why did you ask me not to die?"

"Because you're good." Straw Hat says, as if its the easiest thing in the world, as if Law hasn't been struggling with this for days. "I like you. You're my friend."

Law shakes his head, trying to pull himself free from the ghosts. "But I'm not. I was one of Doflamingo's family. I've killed people, so many people, done terrible things- and I don't care. I'd do it again, _will_ do it again. I'd set the world on fire if I could. There's nothing in me worth saving, nothing in me worth risking your life for."

"I don't care." Straw Hat says bluntly, and Law shoots him a scalding look, scowling. Straw Hat meets his eyes evenly. "People always try to call me a hero or whatever, but I'm not. I'm a pirate. I'm not a good person. Do you go around killing kids?"

"What- No." Law snaps, glaring.

"Do you torture people?" Straw Hat is relentless, his gaze burning. Law stands up straighter, glowering back.

"And what if I do?" He asks, jerking his chin up defiantly. It's a bluff. He can count on one hand the number of time's he's felt the need to torture someone, and count on two fingers the amount of times he's actually had to do it. Both times he'd despised it. He'd felt like Doflamingo, like of those cruel fucks in the Marines who'd commit any atrocity so long as the ends justified the means. But fuck if he was just gonna roll over and let Straw Hat walk all over him.

"Did they deserve it?"

"Yes." Law snaps, his temper getting the better of him.

"Then that's okay." Straw Hat says, leaning back against the counter casually. "I don't like torture but... You're smart, Torao. I trust you. If you think they should die, then I believe you. I've killed people before too. I don't like it, but I've done it."

Law blinks, taken aback. Everything's spiraled out of control. But then, Law thinks bitterly, Straw Hat was good at that wasn't he? Turning everything on its head. Law musters himself, forging forward. "But-"

"You had the same eyes as Robin." Straw Hat interrupts, gaze pinning Law. Law's breath catches in his throat, argument dying on his tongue. "Back at Water Seven. She said she was our friend, that she wanted to join us, smiled the whole time - but her eyes looked like yours. When CP-9 took her she just went with them, didn't even try to fight. She was going to let them kill her."

"I don't- This isn't the same." Law tries to regain stable footing, get his thoughts back together, but Straw Hat doesn't let him.

"It is. You were the same. You were going to let Flamingo kill you." Straw Hat forges ahead, relentless and brutal. Law flinches, glaring at the ground.

"So what if I was?" He says.

"I didn't want you to die. So I saved you." Straw Hat says simply. It feels like a slap in the face. Law reels, outraged. How dare he? How dare he just swan into Laws life and choose for him? What _fucking right_ did he have?

"You-" Law snaps, glowering at Straw Hat. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Straw Hat asks honestly. "You're my friend."

"I-" _didn't want to be saved_. But that's not really true was it? He'd been prepared to die, had accepted it, but he'd still hoped. When the Straw Hat's had first accepted the alliance Law had wondered, just for a second, if he might be able to get out of it alive after all. A tiny flicker of hope, quickly pushed away and hidden before it could make things more painful than they needed to be, but it had been there.

He'd promised Bepo he'd try and come home, Law realizes dully. Before it all started, before Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, before they even started collecting hearts to make him Shichibukai, Bepo had wrung his paws, so worried, and made Law promise to come home.

He's still waiting. All these months Bepo has been waiting on Zou, fretting and worrying but still going on, trusting Law would return to them. Ikkaku too. And Sachi and Penguin. Clione. Jean Bart-

_You have to come back safe, okay? Promise._

For a single anguished moment Law aches with the need to see the _Polar Tang_ again. How long has it been since he's last seen his ship, last seen his people? Months at least. It feels like years. He wants to be there, wants to lounge in the captain's chair with Bepo standing right behind him, waiting for him to doze off enough that Bepo could scoot down to sit beside his legs and cuddle up against Law's knees, listening to Sachi and Penguin bicker from the other side of the control deck until Ikkaku finally got fed up and smacked them over the back of the head, Jean Bart looming in the corner and watching it all go down with a quiet sort of amusement, the hesitant fondness in his eyes growing stronger with every day that passed.

_Fuck_ , Law misses them.

His eyes settle on Straw Hat once more, but the fight is gone from him. Straw Hat is watching him carefully, expression unreadable, but when he see's the look on Law's face he smiles. He claps Law on the shoulder, grinning, then steps past him, heading for the door. "I'm going back to bed. Seeya at breakfast Torao."

"Straw Hat!" Law calls. Straw Hat pauses, looking back at him. It hurts him to say this but- "...Thanks."

Straw Hat laughs, waving at him over his shoulder, and then he's gone, bounding down the corridor and humming a tune about apples beneath his breath. Law watches him go, his stomach twisted in a curious mix of confusion, gratitude and a slowly growing sense of relief.

Law looks at the coffee maker, staring at it for a contemplative minute, then turns away without pouring another cup, instead heading for the chart room. He unlocks the door with a small _Room_ and an easy _Takt_ , and grabs the first denden-mushi he sees.

It rings for minutes, nobody picking up, but Law just calls again, waiting. Finally there's a muffled click as someone picks up and Law catches the tail end of a jaw-cracking yawn. _"...'m'who's this?"_

"Bepo." Law says, and there's a sudden intake of breath on the other line. Bepo's voice is painfully tentative.

_"... Law? Is that you?"_

"Yeah." Law says, sinking back against the wall. The vice that had been clenching his insides eases, and all of sudden Law can breath easier. He's on his way to Zou. He's going _home._ "It's me."

_"Holy crap! Are you alright?! We saw the papers - they said Doflamingo had been arrested, but nobody was sure if you were alive or not! I thought-"_ Bepo's voice cracks, going growly at the edges. There's a wet sniffle, painfully loud in the denden-mushi. _"I thought you might be... But you're okay! Did everything go alright? You're not too hurt are you?"_

"Nothing that won't mend." Law says quietly. "I'm on my way home Bepo. We're on our way to Zou right now."

Bepo's voice catches, the denden-mushi going silent for a moment, and there's a shriek as Bepo roars, loud static noises sounding as he accidentally knocks over the denden-mushi with the force of his cheering. Law grins. After a moment there's the distant sound of a door slamming open and a second voice cuts in.

_"- what the fuck Bepo?! It's 3am! Shut up!"_

Bepo doesn't care. _"Law's alright! He's coming home!"_ Bepo laughs, and there's a surprised noise as someone is seized without warning and squeezed.

_"What? Really?"_ Sachi sounds so hopefully that it makes something ache in Law's chest. Why did he ever do to deserve a crew like this? _"Law's coming back?"_

_"He is!"_ Bepo cheers. _"Talk to him yourself if you don't believe me!"_

There's a sudden scramble as the denden-mushi is picked up. _"Captain is that you?"_

"Yeah." Law says. "Hey Sachi."

_"Oh my god. Fuck. The captain's coming back!"_ Then Sachi is whooping too, shouting and cheering until the ruckus draws the rest of the crew. By the end of it they're all crowded around the denden-mushi, peppering Law with an endless supply of questions, asking him about every detail of his time on Punk Hazard and what happened at Dressrosa and _do you really have an alliance with the Straw Hats? Those guys are insane, Captain. Is Straw Hat really 8 feet tall? I can't believe you got your arm cut off, fucking hell._

By the time they say their goodbye the sun has well and truly risen and Law feels lighter than he has in a long time. Bartholomew's navigator came by almost an hour ago, raising an eyebrow at Law over the picked lock and stolen denden-mushi, but he'd left Law to it without a fuss. Law leaves with a buzzing feeling under his skin, something like anticipation swelling in his chest when he thinks of Zou.

He enters the mess just as breakfast is winding down, most of the crew already staggering off to begin their work for the day and the few stragglers that remain picking at a mountain of leftovers. Bartholomew has taken it as his god-given duty to see that the Straw Hat's have everything they could ever need - including more food than any group of people can reasonably be expected to eat.

But then, reasonable eating has nothing to do with what Straw Hat does at meals. 

Straw Hat's still eating when Law wanders in. He looks up briefly, meeting Law with a smile, but then turns back to Roronoa, making bets over who would catch the biggest fish. Law feels some of the tension leave his shoulders, painfully grateful that Straw Hat doesn't say anything about their conversation last night.

"What about you Torao?" Straw Hat says instead, speaking around a mouthful of toasted sandwich. "You should help us with the fishing later! I bet you're great at it! Just _woosh_ and all the fish are flopping around on the deck!"

"I can't affect things in the sea." Law replies, turning to pour himself a cup of coffee. He leans back against the kitchen counter, cupping it in his hands, but doesn't take a sip yet, just enjoying the warmth of the ceramic against his fingers. Nobody says a word about Law's absence over the last few days, nor the fact that this is the first time that he's shown up to a meal since boarding Bartholomew's ship. The Straw Hats accept his company without a word, and so Bartholomew's men do to.

Straw Hat grins, laughing. "Doesn't matter! You can still help anyway! I bet I'll get the biggest fish though! Wonder if Barty's cook can make fish steak?"

Law is saved from having to think up a response to that by Nico Robin speaking up, glancing up at him over the cup of tea in her hands. "I noticed you'd finished _Tales of a Damned Soul_. What did you think?"

"It was fucking awful." Law replies, brutally honest. Franky just laughs, taking another long gulp of his cola, and Nico Robin raises an eyebrow, smiling faintly.

"It is, isn't it?" Franky agrees heartily. "Every once in a while Robin reads me a bit and god, its depressing as all fuck. Sorry, Robin."

"Don't be." Nico Robin replies mildly. "That's the whole point. It's cathartic."

Law rolls his eyes, taking a small sip of his coffee, and lets the chatter of the Straw Hats wash over him. Things are... not fine, not yet, not when the wounds from Dressrosa are still so raw and ragged, and Cora still haunts his dreams, smile imprinted behind his eyelids. But Law is alive and the _Polar Tang_ is waiting for him, his people are waiting for him, and for now, that feels like enough. 


	8. you're my friend

Eleven days, that's how long it takes them to reach Zou. 

The first sign of it is a creeping fog on the horizon that rises hour after hour until it shrouds the ship, blotting out the sky itself'. Bartholomew's navigator looks at hims askance when Law insist they sail straight into it, shooting a look at his captain as if waiting for others otherwise. "Are you sure, Trafalgar? That's the sort of fog that could sink a ship. If we get lost in there we might never get out."

Law doesn't look up from the vivre paper in his hand. It twitches weakly, tugged deeper into to fog, and Law finds his eyes dragged in the same direction, staring out into the bank of white rising beyond the brow of the ship. "I'm certain." He says, and tucks the paper back in his pocket, heading out onto the deck, the navigator staring blankly after him. 

With every day they get closer to Zou Law's restlessness grows. He's been away from the _Polar Tang_ for far too long, and now that it's finally time to return he finds himself impatient for it. It's almost ironic. Back when he'd embarked on this quest he'd been so certain he'd never see it again, had accepted the fact of his death so thoroughly that he hadn't even considered the possibility that he might somehow survive, and yet here he is. Whatever calm resolution he'd gathered is chipped and cracked, falling away in pieces, and now Law longs to be back on the _Polar Tang_ with a desperation that is almost physical, to see his people once more, safe and sound. 

He supposes he has Straw Hat to thank for that. Law is under no illusions - without his alliance with the Straw Hats and the effort Straw Hat went to to save his life, Law would certainly have died on Dressrosa, if not on Punk Hazard before that. Law leans against the rail, staring out over the murky sea, the waters dark and foreboding without the sunlight to warm them. The air is cool, humid with the fog and damp against the skin, and Law takes a deep breath, soaking it in. He can hear shouting from the other side of the deck, and something that sounds not unlike a small explosion, but Law pays it no mind. Almost two weeks confined on the same boat as the Straw Hats, and yet he understands them no better, understands _Straw Hat_ no better. 

_I trust you_ , Straw Hat had said, eyes dark in the dim kitchen, as if it were just as simple as that. As if Law has ever done anything to earn such trust, to warrant the lengths Straw Hat has gone to, trying to save his life. Friends, he calls them, as if that even means anything in a world like this. What are friends, when even flesh and blood are willing to tear each other apart just for a few extra coins? Trust is a nebulous thing, shifting and unsteady. You can trust your crew, but only in so much as your fates are bound together - if the ship sinks, its all of you that are forced to swim. What harms one harms all, but beyond that? Trust means nothing, it grantees nothing. One might as well smile and hand a stranger a knife, then gasp when they turn around and cut your throat. And yet... 

_I trust you._

If it were anyone other than Straw Hat Law might think it was a ploy, some affectation to try and gain his favor. The thought alone is almost enough to make him snort. Straw Hat doesn't have a duplicitous bone in his body. He probably couldn't tell a lie to save his life. And anyway, what need has Straw Hat of Law's favor, powerful as he is? His crew is strong, his people skilled, and what little they lack in cunning and ambition they make up for in sheer bullheadedness. The Straw Hats would have been well within their rights to abandon him on Dressrosa after the way Law lied to them, founding the alliance under false pretenses with the goal of using them, and yet they didn't. 

And perhaps Law doesn't understand why, perhaps he won't ever truly understand why - why they reached out their hands, why they trusted him, what made Straw Hat risk his own life to save Law's. But- He's still grateful for it, for the chance to stand here, to see the _Polar Tang_ once more, when Law himself had already long given up hope of such a thing. 

There's a crash, something breaking, and then the door to the mess swings open, Straw Hat bouncing out, Usopp and Bartholomew hot on his heels. Law can still hear shouting from inside, some poor fuck no doubt trying desperately to fix whatever invaluable thing Straw Hat broke this time, but Bartholomew doesn't look the least bit put out, floating after Straw Hat on a cloud of pure bliss. 

"Torao!" Straw Hat grins, head snapping up as soon as he catches sight of him. He bounds over, joining Law by the prow of the ship. Bartholomew scowls at Law, irritated at being forced to share Straw Hat's attention while Usopp gives him a nervous nod, timid as ever. Straw Hat shows none of their recalcitrance, hopping up to sit on the rail overlooking the ocean, never mind the fact they've has to fish him out of the sea twice this week when he's tumbled overboard while assuming just such a perch. "Hey, hey, did you know that there's an island where everyone talks only by singing? _Shishishi!_ It's that cool? Have you ever tried singing, Torao?"

"No." Law says, not deigning the question with more than a single word in response. Bartholomew glares, incensed at his open disrespect, but Straw Hat just laughs, squashing his hat down on his head when a gust of wind threatens to blow it away.

"So boring, Torao! Imagine it though - what if Smoker went there? _Shishishi_ I bet it would be amazing!" Straw Hat laughs, all too amused by the prospect, and Law finds himself giving him a sideways glance. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile Straw Hat with the man who's Law so much strife and confusion. Straw Hat pays him no notice, still gawffing, and eventually rubs his nose, turning to Law questioningly. "Hey, Zou is where your bear comes from, right? It's full of animal people?"

"The Mink Tribe." Law confirms, exasperated, leaning back against the rail and propping Kikoku up against his shoulder. They've had this conversation what feels like a dozen times already, each time Straw Hat coming back with some new inane query to tack onto the end. Nevermind that he never seems to remember the answers anyway. 

" _Shishishi_ that's so cool! Do you think one of them would join my crew? Choppers been there for a while already, I wonder what he thinks of them?" Straw Hat asks with a grin. Law shrugs. To be honest, he'd been surprised to learn that the Straw Hats doctor wasn't from Zou. Even strange as the New World was, talking animals were unheard of, let along spontaneously occurring ones, devil fruit or not. 

Straw Hat prattles on for a while, and Law hums agreeably every now and then, not really paying attention. Not that it seems to make a difference. Straw Hat will talk for hours if you let him, only to suddenly lunge off his perch and clap his hands together, running off to some new mayhem as soon as an idea pops into his head. 

"- and even though the guy had been gone for years, the dog kept coming back. He even bit me! He was a good dog though- Wait, what's that?" Straw Hat breaks off suddenly, squinting at a distant shadow in the fog. It starts small, barely more than a dark smudge on the horizon, easily mistaken for the effect of cloud passing overhead. But as they keep their course the darkness only grows, the shadows resolving themselves to a figure in the fog, only growing larger as they approach

"Zou." Law replies, gaze rising up and up and _up_ as the full majesty of Zou is revealed. It's figure towers through the fog, rising higher than any mountain. As they near it the fog gives way, revealing the extent of it's massive bulk - the gargantuan ivory arcs of it's tusks, the weathered, stony skin of it's hide, and the massive trunk that dips right down into the water, lost to the depths. This close the waves coming not from the eddies of the wind and current but from the slow, monumental movement of it's legs as it traverses the ocean once step at a time. 

"You never told me Zou was on an elephant!" Straw Hat cries, leaning forward so far that he almost threatens to topple over the rail entirely. There's a wide grin on his face, his excitement so palpable that his entire body seems to hum with it. " _Shishishi!_ That's amazing!"

Law shrugs. Zou could be a giant turkey for all he cares so long as the _Polar Tang_ is there. But, Law must admit, eyes rising to the elephant once more, it is a little bit impressive. It's size is colossal, well beyond any other mammal Law has ever seen. More than a thousand years old if the stories are to be believed, shrouded in fog and wandering the seas, never stepping foot on dry land. It's the type of creature that only exists in legend, and yet here it is, standing before their very eyes.

The cry goes out, alerting the rest of the ship to their arrival, and Bartholomew's crew flows up from below deck to gawk at the sight, the Straw Hat's congregating on deck to finally catch a glimpse of their destination. Law finds himself scanning the waterline, searching for any sign of the _Polar Tang_. How exactly one docks on an enormous elephant he doesn't know, but there must be something. 

Nico Robin's eyes linger on the elephant with a similar sense of awe, eyes tracing the ancient lines of it's wrinkled flesh. "To think such a creature exists." She says. "A thousand years - it must have been witness to the rise and fall of entire civilizations."

"Bepo should have warned the Mink Tribe we were coming, so hopefully we shouldn't have any problems." Law says, slinging Kikoku over his shoulder. His arm twinges faintly, the ring of thick scar tissue around his upper arm complaining at the stretch, but Law ignores it. "Come on. I want us up there by nightfall."

_"Shishishi!_ It's going to be an adventure!" Straw Hat laughs, already bounding off.

Law sends one last look up at Zou, the true extent of its height hidden by the mist, fingers tapping a restless beat on Kikoku's hilt. His crew is up there some where. It takes effort to restrain himself from taking off now and using a Room to carry him to the top. _Almost there. Just a little bit longer_ , he thinks, and then turns to gather his things, preparing to disembark.

* * *

It takes them three hours to scale Zou, assisted by the second samurai's devil-fruit creation. Law sits in silence, fingers tapping a furious tempo against Kikoku's hilt, glaring any attempts to engage him in conversation. They're so close he can almost taste it, and with every minute that slowly ticks by Law finds himself becoming more tense, restless impatience giving way to a itching frustration. 

Zou itself, once they reach its apex, is little different from any other island. A dense forest spans the elephant's back, dotted with the markers of civilization, high stone structures poking out through the canopy every now and then, marking the towns and villages scattered across the island. By the time they finish their climb the sun is low on the horizon, the impenetrable fog swallowing what little light remains and casting the island in deep shadow. Ahead their first obstacle can be seen, the great gates that guard the entrance to the lands of the Minks looming over the forest. 

"There's something wrong." Law says, frowning at the forest around them. Kikoku hums in his palm, eager to be drawn, and Law tightens his fingers around its hilt. "It took us hours to climb Zou - they should have seen us by now. Even then, there aren't any guards at the gates." He pauses at the gates, glancing at Roronoa. "You see it too right?"

"Mm." Roronoa says, tilting his head towards the arc of the gates, studying its hinges. The stone is cracked and chipped, the doors they held nowhere to be seen. "Gate was busted open, fairly recently too."

" _Shishishi,_ sounds interesting!" Straw Hat grins, and the next thing Law knows he's charging off through the forest, disappearing off into the trees in the direction of the distant stone towers. Law frowns and checks Bepo's vivre card, some of the anxious tension releasing from his shoulders when he see's it whole and unblemished. Still, something is not right here. Law closes his fingers around the vivre card and strides on, letting it tug him deeper into the island. 

Beyond the gates the path quickly gives way to dense forest. Zou's forests are ancient, each tree gnarled and knotted with age, branching twisting high above them for form a tangled canopy that threatens to blot out the little remaining light. Even without the damage at the gates, the path through the forest that something is very wrong. The ground is torn up, entire trees torn from the earth and left toppled on their sides, splintered branches left strewn across the ground - the forest torn asunder in a clear line that cuts right towards the heart of Zou. 

"This wasn't any animal." Franky says, kicking over a rock with his toe and peering at the dirt. Great gouges have been carved into the earth, some so deep that the stony skin of Zou itself can be seen. No storm could have caused that sort of damage. "Wonder what it was?"

"Suppose we'll find out." Roronoa says, sounding all to pleased at the prospect, his fingers idling on the hilt of one of his many swords. 

"I hope Chopper and the others are okay..." Usopp mumbles, throwing an anxious look at the ravaged forest.

Roronoa just snorts. "They'll be fine, so long as there wasn't a pretty lady there to distract the cook-" Roronoa abruptly goes silent, twisting to glare into the forest, one hand on his sword. There's another rustle, and Law slides Kikoku from its sheath- There's a high shriek as metal his metal, Roronoa catching the incoming strike on his sword as a shadow bursts from the undergrowth. 

No, not metal, Law realizes as the figure leaps back. Claws, sharpened with Haki. The Mink growls, long ears pulled flat against her head, and raises her claws, darting in for another swipe only for there to be interrupted by a sudden crash in the undergrowth. The leaves part around a snarling reptilian muzzle, glistening rows of teeth catching the light as another Mink appears, bursting out of the forest on the back of an enormous scaled beast. 

"Enough Carrot!" The wolf-Mink snaps, yanking harshly on the reigns. There's blood on her fur, Law notes, scratches on her arms that haven't yet had the chance to heal and bandages around her midsection that have started to bleed through. She barely gives them a glance, gaze fixed on the first Mink even as she wheels her mount around. "An intruder has penetrated the Whale Forest! Leave these ones, we're needed!"

Law narrows his eyes even as the first Mink makes an angry noise, glaring at Roronoa, but darts back, leaping up onto the mount's back behind her friend. The wolf-Mink pulls the reins sharply, her mount letting out a low rumbling growl as it turns, claws digging into the soft earth. 

"Wait!" Law calls. "What happened? Where are the Heart Pirates?"

"Later!" The wolf-Mink snaps, already kicking her mount into a run. "You." She says, her eyes snapping to the Straw Hats. "You're the Straw Hats? The body of your comrade is waiting for you in the Right Belly Forest."

"Body!?" Usopp yelps, face loosing all colour. "What do you mean body? And wait, that top you're wearing-"

"Enough!" The Mink snarls, turning forward as her mount charges off into the forest once more, taking both Minks with it and leaving the rest of them staring after them, questions burning on the tips of their tongues and no one left to answer them. 

"Huh." Roronoa says, sliding his sword back into it's sheath nonchalantly. "Well that was ominous."

"Ominous!" Usopp cries, rounding on Roronoa incredulously. "That was more than ominous! You saw what she was wearing, that was Nami's top! She said they were _dead!_ Oh god, what if she's right? What if Nami and the rest are actually dead-"

"'Course they're not." Roronoa scoffs. "Curly-brows is there. He wouldn't let anything happen to Nami or the others."

"But what if they're all dead-" Ussop wails, and Law makes an exasperated noise, turning him out. The vivre paper tugs faintly east, the same direction in which the two Minks just took off, and Law turns that way, walking onwards. 

"Wait wait wait!" Usopp cries, darting after him. "Where are you going? This isn't the way they said to go!"

"My crew is this way." Law says sharply, eyes narrowing, daring Usopp to try and stop him. Usopp quails, making a panicked noise, head snapping back and forth between Law and the rest of the Straw Hats as if hoping they'll step in and stop him. Law strides past him, and Usopp makes a despairing noise when they just fall in behind him, Roronoa keeping one sword propped against his shoulder cautiously as his single eye scans the undergrowth. 

"Your first mate is from Zou, correct?" Nico Robin asks, falling into step beside him. She sends him a sideways look. "Is this usual behavior for the Mink Tribe?"

Law's expression is grim. He shakes his head. "Likely not, but who knows. Bepo left Zou when he was very young and hasn't been back in 10 years. A lot can change in that time."

The town, when they reach it, is in no better state than the forest before it. Entire buildings have collapsed, rubble spilled in heaps across the main thoroughfares. The city is eerily quiet, the streets empty and abandoned, and Law finds himself scanning the street intently, searching for any hint of his people. Law's fingers tightening compulsively around Kikoku's hilt, a black, icy feeling falling over him. If something's happened to his crew...

"I can't see any scorching on the buildings and I don't smell gunpowder. Or gas." Franky notes, sharing a look with Nico Robin. "Makes you wonder what they used to do this much damage. And look at those claw marks on the wall - that's not human."

"Infighting between the Minks perhaps?" She says, staring down a nearby street with a thoughtful expression. "But that doesn't explain the lack of people. A city this big, an attack this large... we should be seeing bodies."

"Not necessarily." Law says sharply, kicking over a piece of rubble. There's blood on the ground beneath it, but it's old, faded by the elements. Law lets out an even breath and tries not to imagine one of his crew lying there bleeding out amongst the rubble. Nico Robin sends him a curious look and Law turns away from the stain, embracing the distraction. His crew are strong, he reminds himself. Whatever happened, they'd be able to handle themselves. "The Mink Tribe are known for their extraordinary fighting ability, even as children. If there was an attack they could well have evacuated."

She inclines her head, and turns, eyes tracing the ruined streets. She pauses, peering in through the open window of a house. "All signs point to recent habitation. Whatever happened, it must have been recently. By the state of the food left in the houses... probably not more than a week or two."

"I don't like this." Franky says, frowning at the city. And it says something, doesn't it, that not a single building in sight appears to have escaped unscathed, even the citadel at the heart of the town bearing scars from the attack. "First the gatehouse, now this... We've only seen two people since we've arrived, and they attacked us. Something's turned the entire place on its head, and I suspect we're going to end up right in the midst of it before this is all over, whether we like it or not."

"More importantly... look at this." Rorona says grimly. He'd wandered ahead and now stands paused in the street, staring out great plaza, his expression dark. Law hurries over and stills, gaze caught on the structures that have been set up at the heart of the plaza.

"Those are whipping posts." Nico Robin says quietly, her eyes growing hard. "There's dozens of them."

"And all used." Law notes darkly. Even weeks later the wood is still stained dark with blood, the manacles hanging empty and open, cast in a grim light by the falling sun. The rain hasn't been enough to wash away the blood on the stones, cackled so thick that even now it casts a dark shadow on the pavement below the crosses. Bepo hasn't said anything about this the last time Law called, but then that was almost a two weeks ago, right around when this is all supposed to have happened. Law had tried calling again since, but when Bepo didn't pick up he'd assumed the connection must be spotty. Denden-mushis can be somewhat unreliable on some of the more idiosyncratic islands. 

Law stares at the whipping posts, drawn tense and tight. He couldn't care less what happened to the town, whether it was war or an invasion or natural fucking disaster, but if they've harmed a single hair on the heads of his crew- Law's fingers tighten around Kikoku. It doesn't matter who it did it, Law will tear them apart. 

"Come." Law says, striding past the crosses. Whoever shed that blood, they're long gone now. Free or dead, it doesn't matter - standing there and staring at the damn things won't change a thing. Law needs to find his crew. He's dallied enough. "The vivre paper is saying they're in the forest."

"Wait! Guys!" Usopp calls. "I think I see something in the forest! It's those Minks, and it looks like they've got Luffy with them." He's scrambled up on top of a ruined wall and has pulled out a telescope, peering down at at lower levels of the town and scanning the tree line. "Look, they're right there!" 

Law leaps up onto a nearby pile of rubble, following Usopp's point, and curses. Sure enough, he can just make out the shifting bulk of the Mink's reptilian mount, little more than a shadow at the edge of the tree line to the east of the town. "They've got him prisoner?" Law asks sharply, turning to Usopp.

Usopp wilts under the sudden intensity of Law's gaze, fumbling with the telescope, but nods weakly. "Yeah. I- I even think I saw one of them bite him."

Something goes hard inside him, sharp and furious, and it takes Law a moment to reconcile the cause of it. It's stupid. Straw Hat can take care of himself. He took down fucking Doflamingo for gods sake. A couple of Minks, no matter how good, should be no match for him. Law glances north, torn. The Heart Pirates are ahead, maybe only a mile or two away and yet here Law is, seriously considering turning away, and for what? To save Straw Hat? It's ridiculous. Its fucking ludicrous. 

And yet... He hesitates. _The debt_ , Law tells himself. That's what this is. Straw Hat saved his life and now Law feels beholden to him, caught in a strange limbo where the tattered, neglected shreds of his conscience demand that he pay Straw Hat back. He should just go, should just cut his losses. Whatever happens to Straw Hat isn't his concern. But-

The Mink Tribe are good at what they do, ambush warriors trained to take out their enemies quickly and without mercy. If they did manage to get the drop on him, then Straw Hat could well be at their mercy. They're skilled, trained to maneuver in forest. By the time the Straw Hats are able to make their way to the tree line the Minks will be gone, vanishing back into the forest without a trace. 

His eyes catch on the whipping posts, blood soaked deep into the wood, chains open and waiting, and he tells himself that isn't what makes up his mind.

A few minutes, that's all this will take, and then Law will find his crew. Whatever the strength of the Minks that hold Straw Hat, they'll stand no chance against the the full force of Straw Hat's men, and if need be Law can just snatch him from their grasp and disappear. Bepo is fine, of that at least Law is sure, and if Bepo is fine then the rest of the crew will be too. And if they're not- His fingers tighten around Kikoku. If they're not, then whoever hurt them better be ready, because Law won't rest until he's torn them to atoms. Five minutes. He tells himself, sending a glance at the forest to the north. _Wait just five more minutes, I'm coming._

"All of you, to me now!" Law growls, earning a startled look from Usopp. Roronoa raises a brow but doesn't waste time with questions, quickly stepping closer, and Nico Robin and Franky follow a second later. Law fixes an eye on the tree line and the creature moving there. The _Room_ expands in a dizzying blur, quickly swelling to compass the plaza before spilling down, blue sheen glowing in the fading daylight at it spills over the terraces, down and down, wider and wider.

Usopps eyes widen, mouth falling open. "What-" 

_"Shambles."_ Law snaps, and suddenly they're falling through the air. Usopp yelps, hitting the ground hard. Law lands lightly on his feet, already turning, one hand on the ready on Kikoku's hilt. Roronoa rises form his crouch, hand on his sword, already rounding on the approaching party. The Mink's eyes are wide, hands fallen to their swords in the face of their sudden appearance. Law steps forward, eyes narrowed. If it means saving Straw Hat, Law won't hesitate to slay them where they stand. 

"You caught up with us quickly." The Mink says, meeting his gaze squarely. She looks over their party, Usopp and Franky still picking themselves off the ground. There's a shuffling sound behind her, then Straw Hat is leaning around her shoulder, grinning. 

"Torao! Guys! There you are. I thought you'd gotten lost!" He calls, hopping down from the beasts back. The tension is Law's shoulders releases all at once, his death grip on Kikoku easing, and he tells himself it's not because he's relieved to see Straw Hat unharmed.

"Idiot." Law snaps, letting Kikoku fall back against his shoulder and giving Straw Hat a vicious glare. "If you insist on running off don't expect us to come after you."

_"Shishishi!_ You're a good guy, Torao." Straw Hat grins, bouncing on his heels. "Oh yeah! I saw your crew, back in the forest there! Bepo's so cool! There was this huge tree that looked like a whale-"

"What-" Law says, eyes fixing on Straw Hat as he takes an instinctive step forward, a sudden urgency tying a knot in his guts. It feels like the world has dropped out beneath his feet, like there's a rope knotted in stomach, tugging him sharply north. "You saw them? Where? Were they hurt?"

"Back that way. By the whale." Straw Hat says, waving his hang vaguely into the forest. _"Shishishi!_ They were fine! A bit beat up though. What did he- Oh, yeah, Bepo said that some cat guy said they've got to stay there-"

"Nekomamushi?" Law presses.

"What? Oh yeah, something like that. Anyway, they said they'd be waiting for you there!" Straw Hat says, and Law feels some of the tension ease in his chest, his breath leaving him in one big _whoosh_. The Heart Pirates are fine. _Safe._ Whatever it was that happened to Zou, they made it through alright. He scrubs a hand over his face, letting out a long sigh, and turns to face the Minks. 

"So." Law says flatly. He's well beyond the end of his patience. "What's this all about?"

"Inuarashi will explain." The wolf-Mink says, eyes fixed on something behind his shoulder. Law glances back just in time to see a wall of foliage fall away, exposing a carefully hidden gate. The doors are heavy-set wood, almost a foot thick, and they groan as they swing open, revealing a tunnel that cuts right through the hill. She strides past Law, walking to the mouth of the tunnel, then stops, looking over the gathered pirates. "Come. They're expecting you."

* * *

There's too many Minks, that's the first thing Law notices. The hidden fort isn't small, encompasses maybe three dozen buildings, but there almost twice as many Minks as should be able to comfortably live in that space, each and every one of them looking ragged and worn, sporting bandages and other wounds. Refugees then, or something like it, seeking shelter from whatever destroyed the capital. 

Wanda leads them right to the heart of the fort. She weathers Straw Hat's endless queries with surprising grace, not showing the slightest hint of irritation when when his questions veer into the realm of the insensitive and utterly absurd. The crowd of Minks parts to let the Straw Hats pass, eyes following them from every direction, but it's not antagonistic. More than a few nod as they pass, and the sight of the Straw Hats sets more than one tail wagging - that, at the very least, indicates the rest of the Straw Hats have already arrived. They have a knack for endearing themselves to people, no matter where they go.

Law lags after the group, eyes scanning the crowd, and he tells himself it's not because he's looking for Bepo and the others. The vivre card continues to tug him north, and Law forces himself not to take off after it, instead staying with the group. 

A scarred cat takes Law aside as they approach the heart of the fort, Wanda leading the Straw Hat's up the stairs into the largest building. "Dr Trafalgar?" The cat asks, one ear flicking. There's fresh bandages across it's face, obscuring one eye, but the other is bright and golden, watching Law intently. Law inclines his head and the cat makes a pleased noise, head dipping in small bow. "I'm Caracal. The Heart Pirates are currently the guests of Nekomamushi at the Whale Forest. I've been ordered to guide you there."

Law sends a glance at the Straw Hats, already bounding up the stairs, but he already knows what his answer will be. Whatever misunderstanding the Straw Hat had with the Minks, it's been resolved, and Law is impatient to see his crew. He turns back to Caracal with a nod. "Lead the way."

The town at the Whale Forest shows the same wear and tear as the rest of Zou. The streets are emptier here, but its not for lack of inhabitants. Nekomamushi's court is largely nocturnal and those who reside there tend to rise with the setting of the sun. Come nightfall, it'll likely be just as busy as Inuarashi's temporary court back at the hidden fortress. The few Minks up and about sport bandages, limping through the streets, and Law finds himself wondering if any part of Zou came out of the attack unscathed. 

"This way." Caracal says, gesturing him up the steps to the main palace. There are more Minks here, the open halls of the palace converted into a temporary hospital. Dozen of Mink line the floor, slumbering, and more still sleep in the halls, leaning against the walls. The vast majority are felines of some description, house cats and tigers alike, but there are more than a few bears and foxes among them, everything and anything who's eyes might shine at night. Caracal leads him through the palace, away from the main halls and towards the residential wings and Law finds himself following impatiently, glancing down every new corridor, searching for a glimpse of a white jumpsuit, only to be cut off by a sudden cry as Caracal leads him into a long hall.

"Law!"

Law barely has the chance to turn before Bepo is barreling into him, almost knocking him from his feet. Law gets a faceful of fur as Bepo drags him into a hug, a rumbling growl filling his ears. "-'n't believe you're actually back. I'm so happy you're okay-" Bepo sniffles, the sound not unlike the roar of a chainsaw when pressed this close, clutching him even tighter. He smells of wet fur and motor oil, and Law never thought the smell could be so endearing until now. "-ou're here! You're finally here!"

"Yeah." Law says roughly. The fight seems to leave him all at once and he collapses into the hug. The hard anger that had kept him going these last months, all that ruthless desperation seems to all bleeds away all at once, leaving Law feeling scraped out and exhausted. He lets his head fall against Bepo's shoulder, inhaling the scent of him, the feel of him, warm and breathing and _alive._ "Yeah." Law says again, quieter this time. "I'm back."

"C'mon Bepo, stop hogging him!" Ikkaku cries, and Bepo make a wet noise, sniffling loudly. He shifts, releasing Law from the hug, but doesn't move away entirely, and Law forces himself to straighten, turning to face his crew. Within moments he's overwhelmed.

They crowd close, and Law finds himself squashed between what feels like a dozen bodies, all of them clamoring to ask how he's been, each and every one of them speaking a mile per minute as they tell him what's happened since they parted; Sachi and Penguin already arguing, demanding he tell them who's in the right, Ikakku slapping him on the shoulder, chattering something about how he's been missing out on the fun while Merlow makes concerned noises while poking at the bandages on his arm, scolding him about not having it in a sling and _really Law, this is why we have two doctors. Didn't you say you had to reattach it? You're a menace-_

Law makes a low noise, not so much a laugh as a sound of raw, terrified relief. He's back. He's _back_. Even when they reached Zou, even as he was escorted through the Whale Palace, Law kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the carpet to suddenly be pulled out from under his feet. Right up until the moment he saw them he still couldn't quite believe that it was real, that he'd actually made it. He defeated Doflamingo. He's really back. 

Sachi makes an affronted noise. "What- Are you laughing? Why are you laughing? It's not funny! You're so mean, Captain!" Only to yelp and turn on Penguin with a glower when the other man seizes the opportunity to elbow him in the side, which sets the two of them off arguing, trading jabs and yelping. "Penguin you shithead, I hate you- Who're you calling a shithead, _iddiooot-_ "

Jean Bart meets his eyes over the heads of the crew, his smile a quiet, gentle thing, and Law finds a small smile creeping over his lips. Things are still fucked up, _Law_ is definitely still fucked up, but right now, in this moment, it feels like things might be okay. Law is alive, his crew are alive. What more could he ask than that?

Uni elbows his way through the crowd, stopping before Law with a scowl on his face, arms crosses over his chest. He takes one look at him, up and down, noting the dark bags beneath Law's eyes, and makes a noise of outrage. "You look like shit, Captain. Look at you, you're a twig. Did you even eat on Punk Hazard?"

Law rolls his eyes, but lets Uni and the others drag him back to the guest quarters they've been staying at, Uni and Merlow fussing the whole while. They plonk him down on one of the couches and Law collapses into it gratefully, Uni turning to Bepo with a stern look as the rest of the crew gathers around, sprawling in the other couches, not stopping their chatter for a moment. "Don't let him wander off. I'm going to get some food."

Bepo salutes, his black nose twitching, and Uni just nods sharply, disappearing off down the hall. Merlow makes an annoyed noise, frowning at the thick black stitching around Law's arm. It's Leo's work from Dressrosa, sloppy at best but it had done the job and Law hadn't been in any state to remove the sutures and redo them, not when these ones worked well enough. Merlow pokes at it, muttering beneath his breath. "Honestly, of all the fool things to do. Did you even use any anesthetic when you reattached it? No of course you wouldn't. Probably didn't even sterilize it, fool-"

"There were other things going on. And anyway it's fine. I gave it a full look over afterwards." Law says dryly, but he's true exhausted to properly complain. Let Merlow fuss for once. The restless energy that has keep him going seems to have left him all at once, and now Law just feels wrung out and tired. Uni returns with a tray laden high with food, and the Heart Pirates fall upon it like starving animals, sneaking pieces even as Uni glares and slaps at their hands, dumping it on the table before Law. Some kind soul slides Law a cup of coffee, dark as sin as still scalding hot, and Law takes a long sip, letting out a contented sigh and slumping deeper into the couch. 

"Tired, Captain?" Jean Bart asks, voice quiet, almost lost beneath the sounds of Penguin and Sachi's bickering as it reaches new heights, the two of them tumbling across the floor, a stray kick drawing Ikkaku into the fight too. Uni and Merlow are whispering in the corner, sending narrowed looks at Law every now and then, which heralds nothing good. Bepo lingers behind Law's seat, hovering just in the corner of his vision, never straying more than a foot or two from Law. 

"Long trip." Law says. He takes a long sip of his coffee, savoring it, and uses the moment to gather himself. "How's the _Polar Tang?_ If Penguin and Sachi have destroyed one of the air locks again..."

"Hey! That was only once!" Penguin cries, wheezing around the headlock Ikkaku has him in. Sachi is in no better state, pinned beneath one of their knees. Law feels no sympathy. They should have known better than to get Ikkaku involved in their brawl. 

"Yeah!" Sachi wheezes. "That wasn't my fault. Penguin wanted to see if he could turn it into an aquarium-"

"What? That was your idea!" Penguin snaps, and then they're off again, the spat quickly devolving into jabbing at each other ineffectually around Ikkaku. Jean Bart makes an amused noise, eyes lingering on them for a moment, but turns back to Law, leaving them to their spat. 

"She's fine. We've used the time to finish up a lot of the low-priority maintenance that Clione's been wanting us to do for a while. Even brought her out of the water for two weeks to replace some of the piping and redo the sealant around the vents. Clione might have started us shining her just for something to do if you'd taken any longer." Jean Bart says, and Law nods. Two years ago Jean Bart wouldn't have known a periscope from a sonar dome, but he's adapted well to life on the _Polar Tang_ , becoming a integral if softspoken part of the crew. 

"So what's the deal with the alliance with the Straw Hats?" Ikkaku asks, collapsing on the couch next to him, having finally grown bored of tormenting Penguin and Sachi. "I didn't think you'd go for an alliance. At least not with them."

"They were at the right place at the right time." Law says, and Ikkaku sniggers.

"Damn, must really have been in dire straights to force _you_ to propose an alliance." Ikkaku says, throwing Law a cheeky grin. Law rolls his eyes, but Bepo bristles. Law's distaste for other pirates is well known, as is his distaste for... well, just about everyone. Law tolerates company the same way that a stray cat tolerates being tossed into the sea, and save for the his crew there's a vary small list of people in the world that Law tolerates. 

"Don't be so rude Ikkaku! The Straw Hats have been very helpful!" Bepo says, his fur fluffing up, ears twitching in irritation. 

"Yeah yeah." Ikkaku says, waving one hand dismissively. "We're very grateful. Whatever."

"I'm more curious about what's been happening here." Law says, leaning Kikoku up against the couch and rolling his shoulders with a sigh, sinking back into the couch. "I saw what the capital - what the fuck happened?" 

His crew trade looks, idle chatter giving way to silence for a heavy moment. It doesn't go unnoticed by Law that his crew are all a bit worse for wear, more than a few of them sporting fading bruises or mismatched bandages. They look almost sheepish about it, Sachi tugging at his jumpsuit idly as if to hide the bandages peeking above the collar. Ikkaku rubs the back of her head, not meeting Law's gaze. "Well... I guess you could call it an invasion?"

"Do tell." Law says, bemused. Most don't meet his eyes. It's as if they expect him to scold them, and any other day Law might, but for now he feels far too pleased just being in their company. God forbid he ever tell the idiots at much, but Law has missed them. 

"It started eleven days ago." Ikkaku says. "Some pirates rocked up looking for someone, led by this fuck off big mammoth. A zoan-type, but _really_ nasty. Jack the Drought they called him. Anyway they were looking for a samurai or something, 'cept of course there isn't one. Would have been fine, except whoever these guys were, they were strong, had serious backing. _Serious_ serious backing. We're talking one of the Four Emperors. Like... Kaidou the Beast serious." Ikkaku says, fiddling with the bandages on her fingers to avoid having to look at him in the eyes. 

"I'm sorry!" Bepo blurts suddenly. Until now he's been silent, fidgeting with his claws mutely while Ikkaku explains, but now he turns to Law, ears pressed flat against his face, guilt written in every line of his face. "It's my fault! Nekomamushi said we could stay in the palace, but Zou is my home. When they said it was under attack I wanted to help. We didn't realize it was one of the Four Emperors before it was too late. I don't know if they recognize us but if they did-" Even beneath his fur Law can see the pallor of his face, the way his shoulders seem to weigh in on themselves. He bends in a bow at the waist, utterly distraught. "I'm sorry! I take full responsibility!"

"Well." Law says. He should feel alarmed, he supposes, but the most he can muster is a vague sense of bemusement. "I suppose it's just as well we've picked a fight with Kaidou anyway."

"What?!" Ikkaku yelps, and she's not the only one. Bepo's head flies up, looking utterly blind-sided. His crew turn to stare, gaping and incredulous. "What do you mean picked a fight? And with _Kaidou?"_

Law shrugs. "Things got complicated. The moment we took down Doflamingo directly Kaidou was always going to be out for our heads, and anyway, taking down Kaidou was the Straw Hat's condition for the alliance." No need to tell them that it'd been Law who proposed it in the first place, using Kaidou as a cover to mask his true operation against Doflamingo. His crew might forgive him for a lot of things, but purposefully picking a fight with one of the Four Emperors might be a stretch - not that Law had ever actually intended it to get this far. But, well, hindsight and all that.

Ikkaku makes a low noise, scrubbing at her face. "Captain. Like, no disrespect, but _what the fuck?_ How did you even- No, you know what I don't want to know. But Kaidou, really? _Really?_ Are you crazy?"

"You can't talk. With what you guys have been up to it's not like we weren't going to have to fight him anyway." Law replies dryly, and Ikkaku makes a noise of strangled frustration. Bepo is still staring at him, mouth hanging open, and when Law glances his way his jaw snaps shut. He slowly rises out of his bow, a slightly dazed look in his eyes, and Law makes an amused noise, turning back to the rest of his crew. 

Ikkaku looks about ready to tear out her own hair, while Sachi and Penguin still haven't quite managed to scrape their jaw's off the floor yet. Jean Bart looks as measured as he always does, meeting Law's gaze with a faint shrug as if to say _well, there's no use worrying about it now._ Merlow is pinching the bridge of his nose, muttering something disparaging beneath his breath, Clione and Uni looking exasperated but little else, and Noya... Well, it's hard to tell past Noya's mask, but they haven't drawn their knives yet, so that's something. 

"We're all going to _die."_ Sachi moans, slowly sinking into a pile on the floor.

Law just takes another sip of his coffee. Not great, as far as morale goes, but not bad either considering they've just embarked on a war against one of the Four Emperors. "Stop whining." Law says, shooting Sachi and Penguin a dry look. He turns to Bepo and Ikakku. "Now, what's the rest of the story?"

The gist of it, Law gathers eventually, is that the Hundred Beast Pirates hadn't expected such resistance from Zou, thinking they'd be able to roll over them like any human island. The Minks had different ideas. 

"It's been a mess boss. The fighting was almost continuous, and we were out there too almost every night, but reinforcements just kept coming. I guess Jack the Drought got impatient, because on the sixth day first thing we know is that they've deployed some gas on the island. A couple of second breathing it in and you couldn't stand up." Bepo shivers a little at the thought, his face grim, claws clenched in his jumpsuit. "After that the Hundred Beast Pirates didn't stay long, they didn't need to. If the Straw Hats hadn't arrived when they did... it would have been bad. Really bad."

Law glances to Merlow, who looks equally grim, but inclines his head, corroborating Bepo's story. "Whatever the gas was, it wasn't just a paralyzing agent, it was also a slow acting toxin. The local doctors tried their best to try make up an antidote, but half of them were suffering the effects as well. If Chopper and Caesar hadn't shown up when they did... I doubt more than a couple of dozen people would have survived."

From the grim looks on the faces of his crew, none of them would have been among them. Law takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax his grip on Kikoku one finger at a time. A biochemical weapon deployed as a gas? It reeks of Caesar's research. Law swallows back a wave of profound hatred, regretting that he hadn't slit Caesar's throat on Punk Hazard when he had the chance. And yet, if he had who's to say if they would have been able to concoct an antidote as quickly as they did? Another thing to thank the Straw Hats for, Law supposes wearily, scrubbing one hand across his face. At this point he's starting to wonder if he's ever going to be able to pay them back for all they've done for him and his crew. 

By the time they'd finished catching him up on the details, the last fading rays of dusk have vanished, plunging Zou into a profound darkness. Shortly after the light finally fades the Minks begin lighting lanterns, the entirely of the Whale Forest residential district coming alive with rows of round, glowing lanterns. Law finds himself standing on the balcony, watching the figures move in the street below, lanterns flickering one one by light as the Minks make their way down the street, the streets growing more busy as Nekomamushi's court rises to begin their day. 

He takes a long drags of his cigarette, and exhales, leaning heavily on the rail. Even damaged, Nekomamushi's court is a beautiful place, all dark old wood and vaulted tiled roofs. The forest presses in around it, trees spilling blossom-wreathed branches over the streets. Many lie scattered on the ground now, splintered and trampled, but even broken there's a beauty to it. The Minks are the same. They walk with their heads held high even as they bandage their wounds, weathering the aftermath of their defeat with grace and dignity. 

There's a low scraping noise behind him as the door slides open, Bepo stepping out onto the balcony, but Law doesn't turn, breathing out a long column of smoke. After so long alone, the noise of his crew is overwhelming. And as much as he ached to see them, the sheer force of their presence around him, loud and happy and so goddamn gloriously alive, is enough to leave him feeling raw and exhausted. 

Bepo joins him by the rail, one ear flicking. "Penguin accidentally tore a page out of Noya's book. Jean Bart's trying to keep them from cutting Penguin to pieces." He says, which would explain the sudden panicked shouting coming from within the suite. Law inclines his head. Bepo looks down at the street, not watching Law. For a long moment the silent stretches, but finally Law sighs.

"It feels weird. Being back." He admits, and wonders what it is that has him being so honest. Maybe he's just too tired to pretend. He's spent so long forcing himself to be okay, to be fine. He had to be, to make it work, because the moment he stopped, the moment he showed weakness, it would all come crashing down around him. Now it's over and he's just... tired. "I didn't think I would actually make it."

"I know." Bepo says quietly. "I'm glad you are though. You had us worried for a moment there."

"Yeah." Law says, turning his cigarette over in his hand. Ash falls from the tip, and Law finds himself watching it, tracing the flakes until they disappear from view, vanishing into the wind. "I am too."

"So... You finally got Doflamingo." Bepo says, claws clicking on the wood as he brings his paws to the rail. "What's the plan now?"

And that's the question, isn't it? All Law's life has been building up to this fight. It's what everything has been for. Coming to the Grand Line, forming the Heart Pirates, becoming Shichibukai... Before, he hadn't needed to think what would happen next, because he hadn't thought he would succeed. Or at least he hadn't thought he would live to see his success. His plans never extended this far, and now Law finds himself at a loss. 

"I suppose we do what we've always done." Law says eventually. "Pick fights, find treasure, and give the World Government hell along the way."

And maybe he doesn't know exactly what he wants, where this is all leading, but that seems like as good a place to start as any.

* * *

Not an hour after the lanterns are lit there's a gentle knock on the door, a dark furred bear with a splash of deep orange across her chest bowing and gently announcing that Nekomamushi has invited them to dine with him. His crew rise, not one of them looking surprised at the invitation, and Bepo trots over to greet the bear, bowing in return and accepting the invitation after a short glance at Law.

There's little Law wants less right now than to go to a banquet, but he nods anyway, well aware that their presence on Zou depends on the Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's continuing goodwill. The banquet hall didn't survive the attack unscathed, but it's beauty isn't diminished, the painted screens and gilded woodwork drawing the eye, even scratched and damaged as they are. The long tables have been dragged into the fill the hall, every piece of available space set up to accommodate a banquet. Already the tables are beginning to fill up with sharp eyed Minks, each and every one of the looking worse for wear but all the prouder for it. 

The Heart Pirates diffuse through the room, wandering off in twos and threes to chat with the Minks, greeting familiar faces in the crowd. Law and Bepo keep walking, following the sun-bear right to the heart of the hall where Nekomamushi lays sprawled upon his dais. There's a great rumbling purr as he shifts, enormous yellow eyes coming to fix on Law. He's in a bad a state of as the rest of them, bandages dotting his expansive body, only little hidden by his robes. In a worse state actually, Law notes, eyes fixing on the stump of his arm, still cradled in its sling. Bepo said that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi bore the brunt of the torture, and looking at Nekomamushi now Law can believe it. 

Nekomamushi's eyes narrow, slitted pupils thinning to black lines as he slowly comes to rest in a languid lounge, bushy tail flicking behind him as he regards Law. He's an intimidating creature even amongst the Minks, his fur a mess of old scars, one ear ragged and torn where something once took a chunk out of it. Law meets his gaze squarely, inclining his head minutely, but he doesn't bow, even when Nekomamushi's eyes narrow further. Law rarely has the patience for formalities on a good day, and even less inclination to play along with court etiquette now. He can feel the Minks around them watching, some of the chatter of the hall dying away as they wait to see what will happen. Bepo fidgets with his claws, shuffling his feet nervously. 

All of a sudden Nekomamushi lets out a great rumbling laugh, mouth breaking out in a wide grin that shows rows of gleaming fangs. The tension dissipates in an instant, the Minks all turning back to their own affairs, the murmur of conversation picking up once more. 

"Proud." Nekomamushi notes, shooting Law an amused look, one ear flicking. "I like it. Your people did us a great service when the Beasts were knocking on our door. Sit." Nekomamushi says, gesturing to one of the open spots at the head of the table, the first to the left of Nekomamushi's dais. "You and your men are my guests of honor tonight. Make yourselves at home. Nothing will be refused to you."

Law gives a sharp nod, taking the seat. Bepo settles into the spot next to him and quickly leans across the table, filling Law's cup with a generous dose of sake and then his own. They raise their first cup in Nekomamushi's honor, thanking him for his generosity, earning smiles from the Minks around them. Once it's done Bepo relaxes a little, letting out a relieved sigh once the ceremonial requirements are out of the way. Law just sends him a wry look, amused that he'd think Law would fuck it up. Bepo replies with an unimpressed look that clearly says he remembers well what happened the last time Law was invited to a party. Which, okay, maybe Bepo is right to be a little concerned. 

Nekomamushi's people begin moving the moment Law and Bepo are properly seated, bringing out a host of new dishes, and Law finds his plate slowly filling itself more or less of its own accord. 

"So." Nekomamushi rumbles, eyes fixing on Law as he takes a long sip from his own cup - more a bowl if Law is being honest, though he supposes when you're as large as Nekomamushi it's only to be expected. "I hear we have you to thank for Doflamingo's timely arrest. I am told was the announcement of it in the paper that finally prompted the Beasts to leave."

Law shrugs, turning his chopsticks over in hand. "The Straw Hats were the ones who took down Doflamingo. My own presence there was incidental, nothing more."

Nekomamushi chuckles, the noise like the gravelly rumble of a landslide, caught halfway between a purr and a growl. "Is that so?" Nekomamushi says, eyes narrowing - whether in amusement, suspicion, or annoyance Law can't tell. Ten years has been plenty enough time to learn how to read Bepo's expressions, but cats are cryptic at the best of times and cat-Minks even more so.

All of a sudden Nekomamushi turns, calling to his assistants. "Oncilla! Break out the Nepetal-ake, the casks from the year of the golden blossoms!"

There's a sudden cheer from around the room, the Minks raising their cups to Nekomamushi as the small Mink bows, dark spotted fur vanishing from sight as they quickly duck in search of the requested brew. Bepo makes a keen noise, a glob of drool accumulating at the corner of his mouth, and Law rolls his eyes, elbowing him in the side.

Bepo yelps, sending Law a hurt look, but Law ignores him, turning back to Nekomamushi. "You honor us." He says, raising his cup. Nekomamushi just smiles, looking far too amused. 

"Nothing is too good for our guests." Nekomamushi says. "Come. Eat! Drink! Your plates won't empty tonight."

Another one of the servers is already leaning forward, piling Law's plate high, and he can do nothing but accept, shooting Nekomamushi a dry look. Nekomamushi just grins, taking a long sip of his sake, tail flicking behind him. For a while the conversation dips, a few of the Minks approaching the dais in ones and twos to ask Nekomamushi this or that, and Law allows himself to relax a little, taking a slow sip of his drink and allowing himself to savor it. The alcohol eases things a little bit, soothing the raw edges of his nerves and leaving Law warm and relaxed, more at ease to enjoy the feast itself now that the politics are out of the way. 

Law can hear the exact moments the Straw Hat's arrive. Doors slam open across the hall, the sounds of sudden exited shouting heralding the arrival of the Straw Hats as they come tumbling in though the doors in all their glory, already grinning and laughing. Their arrival sends up another cheer through the Minks, all rising to toast them. That seems to the moment that turns from a banquet to a true feast, the Minks all cheering and Nekomamushi calling out to order thes cooks to bring out twice again as much food, sake flowing like water from cup to cup as Nekomamushi's court rises to celebrate their heros. 

"Torao! There you are!" Straw Hat grins, bounding across the room, forcing more than one Mink to dart out of the way or risk being bowled over entirely. They don't seem to mind, just smiling and rolling their eyes, each and every charmed by the sheer force of his cheer.

Straw Hat throws himself down at the table across from Law, already reaching across to inhale half the dishes on the table even as he waves his hands, making a cheerful attempt at explaining something through the bulging of his cheeks. "-lly big dog! But he's a good guy! You should meet him!" Straw Hat says, shoveling what seems like an entire steak into his mouth. "Mhmm! He'fuu'eally b'mm'up!"

"Breath, Straw Hat." Law snaps, shoving a glass of water in his direction. Straw Hat takes it, downing in in one long gulp, and sucks in a tremendous breath, the need for air finally seeming to catch up with him. Fortunately, Nekomamushi seems just as enchanted by Straw Hat as the rest of the Minks, because he just laughs and orders another cask of wine brought out.

_"Shishishi!_ Did you see their houses?" Straw Hat asks, already reaching over to drag another dish closer. "They look like pineapples! Oh hey, this tastes like crocodile! Have you ever eaten crocodile, Torao? It's good!" Straw Hat leans over the table, scraping half of the dish onto Law's plate before Law can open his mouth to protest. Law glowers at him, glaring at the dripping steak that now dominates half his plate, but Straw Hat's already moved on, one arm stretching the length of the table to steal something that's caught his eye down the far end. 

"Don't you have anything else to be doing?" Law asks flatly, as Straw Hat drags back the stolen bounty, spilling half the dish of noodles across the table as he goes. "Anything really. Anything at all that isn't bothering me?"

_"Shishishi!_ Not really!" Straw Hat just grins at him, one hand reaching over to grab at Law's cup. Law slaps it away, but Straw Hat just makes a grab for his plate instead, making off with a handful of tempura prawns before Law can stop him. Law scowls at him as he finishes the prawns in one large bite, taking along gulp of his own (perfectly full!) cup of wine. 

Law finds himself watching Straw Hat eat with a morbid curiosity, eyebrows rising at the improbable amount of food he packs away, only to give up entirely when a couple of the other Straw Hats wander over, one mentioning off hand that this the second feast they've attended that night. Law scrubs a hand across his face, swallowing back a noise of frustrated disbelief, and downs the rest of his drink in one go. There is no realm of existence in which Straw Hat makes sense. Not one. 

"One of your crew is missing. Black Leg." Law notes, casting a curious eye over the crowd. The Straw Hats are easy to pick out, characteristic figures even amongst the eccentric silhouettes of the Minks. Each one cuts a daring figure, which makes the absence of one all the more conspicuous. 

"Mm." Straw Hat shrugs, and leaning back against the table. "He had to go somewhere. He'll be back."

"Will he?" Law asks. Not cruelly, or at least not intentionally cruel. Just... curious. The Straw Hats are a tight knit bunch. Rare enough for one to leave of their own accord - at least not without serious cause, which makes Black Leg's absence all the more jarring. He watches Straw Hat, trying to glean some tiny insight, but his expression is inscrutable. 

"He will." Straw Hat says, shooting Law an easy grin. His voice is cheerful but there's a vein of iron that runs beneath it, not an ounce of doubt present. "So long as he wants to come back, he will. I'll make sure of it."

Law makes a quiet noise, not quite agreement, but not a disagreement either. Acknowledgement maybe, for what little that means. Law takes a sip of his sake, letting himself settle back into silence. The Nepetal-ake is good, sweet and golden and deceptively alcoholic for its light fragrance. As good a distraction as anything, if the alternative is spending another minute trying to understand the conundrum of Straw Hat. 

"Well." Bepo says tentatively, once Straw Hat has flounced off, dragged back into whatever chaos is happening at one of the lower tables - Law isn't sure what and he's making a point not to look. At this point ignorance is his only protection. "They're... energetic?" He sounds vaguely baffled, like he's not sure whether it's supposed to be a compliment or an insult. 

"Yes." Law says flatly, staring after Straw Hat. "I know."

The party, if it's even possible, only seems to let louder as the night wears on and more Minks appear from the woodwork to join in the feast, drawn by the news of the Straw Hat's arrivals. Law finds himself doing a round of the room just to stretch his legs after a couple of hours, checking in on the Heart Pirates. Most are merry and drunk, or well on their way there. Sachi and Penguin are well and truly sloshed, while Clione and Uni seem to have ingratiated themselves into a group of Minks caught up in intense conversation. Law gives them a passing glance, but it all seems jovial so he leaves them to it. 

Ikkaku's disappeared somewhere, which Law's happy to know no more about, and Jean Bart and Noya seem to have found themselves tucked in a corner along with what seems like half the wine casks in the room, caught in the midst of a furious drinking contest with a group of burly bear-Minks. 

It's almost midnight by the time he finds himself sitting at the table beside Nekomamushi once more, lounging lazily in his seat as he watches Nekomamushi's doctor harry him into allowing a checkup. 

"I'm fine!" Nekomamushi grumbles, waving away his doctor, but the small mink just makes an irritates noise, glaring at Nekomamushi til he lets out a great heaving sigh and flops over so the Mink can have a peek at his bandages. "It'll take more than this to take out Nekomamushi. The likes of the Beasts are nothing to a true cat of Zou! They bit off more than they could chew coming here, looking for some samurai. _Pah."_

"Strange place to come looking." Law notes, tone almost idle. Almost. "I can't help but wonder why Kaidou's people would come here of all place, searching for a samurai." 

Nekomamushi glances at him, eyes sharp and narrow, and for a long moment there's silence as Nekomamushi watches him. There's a weight to the air between them, each of them all too aware of the fact that Nekomamushi spent days on the cross refusing to answer this very question. He paid dearly for his answer, the empty stump of his arm attests to it. 

Nekomamushi makes a low noise, claws idly kneading the cushioned arm of his dais. They glint in the light, each and every one as sharp as a knife, the easy atmosphere around Nekomamushi hanging by a thread. For all that he likes to play the housecat, Nekomamushi is a predator, one of the most dangerous Minks on the island, injured or not. His eyes are sharp, pupils slitted, his tone carefully light. "Strange indeed."

"It's almost funny. Everywhere I go there seem to be new samurai popping up." Law says, watching Nekomamushi's reaction carefully. "I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of one recently. A man named Kin'emon, who got into some trouble at Punk Hazard. He's been in rather a hurry to get here, him and his friends."

Nekomamushi sucks in a sharp breath, body going taut, and Law feels himself tense in response. Law finds himself glancing between them anxiously, wondering if he should go for Kikoku, only for Nekomamushi to shudder and let out a long, ragged breath. "Ah." He says, voice rough. Nekomamushi slumping back into his seat, all the fight leaving him. When he meets Law's gaze his eyes are red rimmed. "And you brought them here?"

Law inclines his head, and Nekomamushi lets out a great rumbling noise, raking his claws through his mane. "This is a day for celebration indeed." Nekomamushi says. For a single moment his eyes meet Law's and he dips his head, the closest thing to a bow Law thinks he will ever see from this proud cat, then Nekomamushi is turning, bellowing to his men. "Oncilla! Yagoua! Send word to the mutt and all those drowsy bums at the hidden fort! All of Zou is celebrating tonight! Tell them to bring as much food and wine as they can carry!"

An ear-spitting cheer goes out through the crowd, then what feels like a dozen messengers are taking off into the night, jumping out the windows as they go to spread the word, hollering all the way. Nekomamushi lets out a triumphant roar and his court joins in, voices rising in a deafening crescendo that makes the very foundations of the building shake. Glasses are raised and dinks poured as one and all the Minks throw themselves into the celebration with new vigor, laughing and cheering. 

At the end of it, Nekomamushi turns to Law. "We won't forget this." He says. "You and the Straw Hat's, you've done well by us, and Minks don't forget their debts. Let it be known henceforth the Heart Pirates and any who bear their name are the friends of Zou - from now until a thousand years have passed." Then Nekomamushi rises, taking a limping step from the dais, his one good hand coming to rest for a moment on Law's shoulder, giving it firm squeeze, and then he's stepping down past the table, joining his people in the throng. 

Law leans back, watching him go, and wonders just how the fuck he managed to get in the position where the head of a foreign nation is actually fucking _thanking him._ Then his eyes land on the Straw Hat's and he knows the answer. In the end Law just sighs and refills his cup once more, raising it for just one moment, a silent salute, before downing it all in one swift motion. 

If there's one thing he's decided, it's that he's far too sober for whatever the fuck just happened. 

* * *

Later, when what seems like half of Zou has somehow crammed themselves into the Whale Forest palace, all of them drunk off their faces and cheering and singing in the riotous, haphazard way that only drunks can manage, Law finds himself on one of the upper balconies, watching the merriment continue below.

The party had spilled out into all the courtyard what feels like a lifetime ago and the Minks had used the opportunity to expand their celebrations, lighting a bonfire that seems to have only gathered more partygoers as the evening wore on. They're dancing around it still, and their snarling, furred faces would be frightening in the half-light save for the grins that split their faces cheek to cheek and the way half of them can't hold a tune, let alone string an actual song together.

Law leans back against the wall, sitting perched on the rail of the balcony, one leg drawn up to his chest and the other left to dangle. He has a cigarette in his hand and a bottle of sake, now empty, lying on the floor near his foot. There's a pleasant hum in his veins and heat in his belly speaks of too much sake, and a stretched honey-tone quality to the world that speaks of way _way_ too much sake. It's two am. Maybe three. Maybe later. Law doesn't know, he lost track a while ago when Sachi pressed a fresh bottle of sake into his hand and Law decided it would be a good idea to finish it. 

His crew are down there, still dancing around the fire with the Minks. Most of them anyway. Penguin passed out a while ago, and Merlow went to bed almost four hours ago now, rolling his eyes at the teasing taunts Emon and White threw at his back. Looking at them down there, grinning and dancing, safe and happy, makes something go warm in Law's chest for a reason he can't quite explain, the sharp edges of the world going soft for a moment. And fuck, he really has too much to drink, hasn't he?

"Is this what you meant?" Law asks, taking a long drag of his cigarette. "Is this what you wanted for me, Cora?" The _Polar Tang_ is the closest thing Law has ever had to a home, his crew among the few people in the world Law would truly consider his friends. Most days he can barely remember what life was like in Flevance before Amber Lead Syndrome, what it means to be part of a family, but he wonders if it wasn't something like this. Warm. Comfortable. Kind in its familiarity. 

It still doesn't feel real sometimes. All his life there's been a clock counting down, death weighing on his shoulders like a shackle around his wrists. Fourteen years he's been planning how to take down Doflamingo, and now that it's over Law doesn't know what to do with himself. For the first time in his life, Law is free. 

There's a crashing noise below, a cut off cry, and then Straw Hat lands lightly on the rail beside him, grinning and shouting an apology to the person below even as he sways on his perch, almost threatening to slip off entirely. Straw Hat laughs and shifts, hopping over the rail and down onto the balcony proper. It probably says something about just how much Law's had to drink that he doesn't even mind Straw Hat's presence.

_"Shishishi!_ It's a good party." Straw Hat says, grinning down at the courtyard. He leans against the rail, close enough that his elbow almost bumps Law's leg when he shifts. "Whatcha thinking about, Torao?"

"People I used to know." Law says, taking another long drag of his cigarette, breathing out a long column of smoke. He holds the cigarette out to Straw Hat who just grins and shakes his head. Law shrugs, slipping it back between his lips.

The moon has risen high across the sky, bathing the forest in a pale light, and Law finds himself watching it, his cigarette burning itself out a little more with each breath. The silence stretches, a muted, soft-edged thing, and Law would almost forget Straw Hat was there but for the silhouette of him in the moonlight, the look of quiet contemplation on his face, so out of place on his usually cheerful features. 

Law was right, Straw Hat almost looks like another person when he's like this. His face looks different when he's not grinning, the air around him seeming to hang in a different form without the cheerful babble of his chatter to fill the space around him. 

"Hey, Torao." Straw Hat says, folding his arm on the rail. His eyes flicker in the firelight, glowing a golden orange with the reflection of the flame. "Tell me something I don't know."

Law hums, a low, thoughtful noise, and finds his gaze drifting back up to the moon. "My sister used to try to convince me that rabbits lived on the moon. She always said one day she'd find a way to go up and see them. Said she'd be queen of the rabbits."

It's been years since he's talked about Lami, and Law doesn't quite know what prompts him to bring her up now. Lami is... difficult. Sometimes he doesn't think about her for months on end, other times he misses her so much it physically hurts. The ache of her death will be something he carries with him until the day he dies.

"You have a sister?" Straw Hat says. His head has fallen, pillowed on his crossed arms, stray locks of hair falling into his face as he tilts his head to look at Law. 

"Had." Law corrects, and for some reason it hurts less to say it than it usually does. "She died when I was eight."

"Ah." Straw Hat says. He tilts his head back, gazing up at the stars, a familiar sadness in his eyes. Law knows it - he sees it in his own face every time he thinks of Lami, of Cora, of his parents rotting in an unnamed grave even so many years later. Straw Hat raises his hand, reaching out as if to catch the night between his fingers and pull the stars down to earth. His fingers close around nothing, but he still doesn't let his hand drop. 

"I wonder if they're happy up there." Straw Hat says, peering at the night through his splayed fingers. "Ace always liked fire, even before he became a fire man. He'd enjoy being a star. I'm sure your sister is up there too."

"They're dead." Law says, letting his head fall back against the wall with a quiet _thunk_ as he breaths out a slow stream of smoke. Sometimes he wishes he believed in god. Reincarnation. Anything really. It would be kinder than the truth. "They're not doing anything except lying in the dirt. Decomposing."

"I know." Straw Hat says. "But it's nice to think it, isn't it? 

Law thinks about Lami, about the way she'd coughed and trembled in her bed, the way the white stains on her skin only grew larger and larger, threatening to swallow her whole. He thinks about the way her voice wheezed at the end, struggling to find breath. He thinks about her before the Amber Lead Syndrome got its claws in her, always smiling, trailing after Law with a soft toy in hand, sniffling pitifully whenever she found him in the midst of a dissection. He tries to imagines her up there now, her face glowing in the pale light of the moon, a silly smile on her face as she runs about trying to catch rabbits. She'd be happy there, he thinks. 

Straw Hat is right, it is a nice thought. 

For a long moment they linger in silence, listening to the sound of the party below, each lost in thought. Law finds himself watching Straw Hat. _I trust you,_ Straw Hat said, again and again. Even now he's here, doing it again, seeking Law out and telling him things that Law has never heard him talk about with anyone else, and Law can't figure out why. 

"I don't understand you." Law says, taking a long drag of his cigarette. The nicotine is soothing, the slow roiling pressure of smoke in his lungs a comfort. "You keep-" _Helping me. Saving me._ The words stick in his throat. "You say you trust me, but why? Why do any of it?"

"Do I have to have a reason?" Straw Hat asks, glancing at him, not rising from the rail. "I told you. You're my friend." 

"Am I?" Law asks, exhausted. He looks at Straw Hat, biting his cigarette between his teeth. Straw Hat is like a Gordian knot. The more you try to unravel it the more tangled it becomes. "I don't know what that even means. You do this. Help people. And not just me, the kids on Punk Hazard, the people in Dressrosa- Why do you care so much? Dressrosa wasn't your fight, you could have left at any moment, and yet you didn't. You almost died, and for what?"

For a long moment Straw Hat is silent, thinking, and Law finds himself watching his face as Straw Hat stares down at the crowd, expression thoughtful. "I don't think there needs to be a reason. I just wanted to. If something hurts one of my friends and I can do something about it, I will."

"Even if it means risking your own life?" Law presses, searching for a reaction, a reason, _anything._ "You don't owe these people anything. You have no reason to risk your life for them. Why bother?"

"Because it's fun." Straw Hat says, leaning back from the rail. He's smiling again, a bright, easy thing, and Law would call it careless except Straw Hat cares all too much and that's the goddamn problem. "I like meeting people. I like going on adventures and making friends, and if I have to fight someone then that's even better. If I just run away then whats the point of even being here?"

"It can't be that simple." Law says. 

Straw Hat grins, shrugging. "It is. I saved you because I wanted to, because you're my friend. I saved the people in Dressrosa because they were nice, and Doflamingo wasn't."

It's the most skewed version of morality Law has ever heard. Law knows right from wrong, can cite every letter of the law, and yet he chooses to break it anyway. Straw Hat just doesn't care, and the worst thing is that Law can't even find it in himself to be surprised. It makes sense in an insane, devil may care sort of way. 

"So that's it?" He says, letting out a long wisp of smoke, head dropping back against the wall. "You just... do what you want? Fuck the consequences?"

_"Shishishi._ Yep." Straw Hat grins, leaning back against the rail. His elbow bumps Law's knee, but Law can't bring himself to comment on it. He sighs, fishing out another cigarette. The last hasn't even finished burning out but Law is somehow in desperate need of another. The Straw Hat effect, he guesses. 

"You're insane." He says, but it's halfhearted at best. No wonder Straw Hat is unpredictable. Most people, they have a filter, a careful cost-benefit analysis that runs before they do anything, modulating their behavior. Straw Hat doesn't. Or maybe he does and maybe he just doesn't care. 

Law sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. "You know," He say, his tone almost resigned. "You're not what I expected." 

It takes a certain sort of person to become a pirate, and an even more specific type of person to get a bounty as high as Straw Hat's. The Grand Line attracts a certain quality of ruthlessness, and only the most hardened pirates tend to even make it to the New World. Even before he met him, Law knew Straw Hat was something interesting. He'd seen his face too many times in the papers for him not to be, yet never in his mind had he expected someone like Straw Hat.

"Yeah?" Straw Hats asks, grinning. He looks more amused than anything.

Law takes a long drag of his cigarette, letting the bitter tang of ash flood his mouth, and nods. "Yeah." He doesn't even know if it's a bad thing or a good thing. Straw Hat is just... Straw Hat. 

For a long moment there's nothing but the distant music, the quiet stretching between them. Straw Hat is still watching him, his gaze a weight on Law's skin, but Law doesn't look at him. The bonfire is dying out and most of the dancers have retired, losing steam as the early hours of the morning continue to drag on. More then a few people are still dancing though, and music is still playing from within the grand hall.

"Hey, Torao." Straw Hat says quietly, and Law glances up, only to still when he realizes just how close Straw Hat has gotten. For an slow second all Law can see is the bright cast of the dying firelight in his eyes, the dark length of his lashes, so close Law can almost count them. Straw Hat's lips are soft when they meet his, still sweet with the lingering taste of wine, and for a brief second the world is still and motionless, caught in a timeless moment. Law can feel every touch like a brand against his skin, the entire world narrowing to a tight focus, to the warmth of Straw Hat's fingers where they brush every so slightly against Law's chest, the pressure of his leg against Law's as he leans in, the soft brush of his lips against Law's-

And then Straw Hat pulls back, breath soft against Law's skin as he grins and straightens, and the world abruptly starts moving once more. 

Straw Hat is still smiling as he leans back. In the dim light he looks soft, his hair faintly tousled, but his grin is just as bright as ever, his eyes shining. " _Shishishi._ You taste like cigarettes. I thought you might."

"Straw Hat-" Law says, but what does he even say? Fuck, Law is too drunk for this. Or maybe he's too sober? God, he doesn't fucking know anymore. 

"Luffy." Straw Hat corrects, rocking back on his heels. He's still close, barely a foot from Law, and the movement make's his leg brush against Law's knee. "I keep telling you. Call me Luffy."

"You kissed me." Law says, somewhat blankly. He's still reeling, thoughts sticking like a scratched record. He can still taste Straw Hat on his lips, can still feel the flutter of his eyelashes against Law's cheek as Straw Hat's eyes slipped closed, just for a second. He doesn't understand- "Why?"

_"Shishishi._ Because I wanted to." Straw Hat grins.

"I don't-" _understand._ And god, isn't Law tired of saying that. Every time he thinks he might understand Straw Hat, he throws him for another loop. Straw Hat must see his confusion, because he laughs, leaning back against rail.

"I told you." Straw Hat says, sending him a look that's so bright and fond that Law almost flinches. "I like you."

"Straw Hat-" Law starts, but Straw Hat just frowns at him. Law makes a frustrated noise. _"Luffy,_ this isn't a game. You can't just-" _kiss me._ The worlds catch in his throat, as if Law still can't believe it really happened. 

"I never said it was a game." Straw Hat- Luffy- _No_ , Straw Hat, says. He meets Law's eyes squarely, and Law would almost call his expression serious if not for the fact he's still smiling. He leans back against the rail, casual as anything, and shrugs. "I like you and I wanted to kiss you, so I did."

"Don't joke. Not about this." Law snaps. 

"I'm not." Straw Hat says, expression sharpening. He straightens, and Law finds himself bearing the full intensity of Straw Hat's regard. It's a heavy thing, the sheer intensity of it like a weight pressing down on his shoulders. "I told you. I like you, Torao."

_That's not my name,_ Law almost snarls, but swallows it down. "So, what?" Law snaps. "You want to, what, kiss me? Fuck me? Play fucking house?"

"Mmm, I don't know." Straw Hat shrugs, relaxing back against the rail, and Law feels some of the weight lift from his shoulders, not sure whether it eases or infuriates him that Straw Hat is acting so blasé about the whole thing. "I want you, I think. I don't know about the rest but... I liked kissing you. I'd do it again, if you let me."

For a long moment Law just stares at him, lost on how to reply, then he lets out a sharp breath, scrubbing a hand across his face. This is quickly veering into dangerous territory. Straw Hat is the captain of another crew, the captain of another crew that Law has an alliance with no less. This, _all of this_ , has the potential the turn nasty in a heartbeat. It's a political clusterfuck, and yet Straw Hat doesn't seem the least bit concerned. "Do you even understand what this could do?" Law asks, resisting the urge to scream into his hands. "The alliance-"

"You always make things so complicated." Straw Hat says, and there's a hint of a laugh in his voice. He sounds all too fucking fond. "Why does that matter? I like you, Torao. I'd be yours, if you asked."

"What does that even _mean?"_ Law snaps, verging on desperation. There's a weight to Straw Hat's words, a meaning there, but for the life of him Law can't work out what the fuck it's supposed to mean. 

Straw Hat shrugs, shooting Law a sideways grin. "I want you. I want us to be friends, and allies. I want us to have fight together and have adventures together. And I want to kiss you again. I thought it would be nice and it was, so doing it again would be cool."

For a moment Law stares at him blankly, still trying to decipher just what the fuck Straw Hat had said. "So, what, you want to get married?" Law asks, slightly baffled, because as far as he can tell Straw Hat is asking him for, what, a life-long alliance? But romantic. A partnership? Straw Hat makes a pleased noise, as if just realizing that's a possibility. 

"Sure." Straw Hat grins. "Marry me."

Law opens his mouth and nothing comes out. There aren't enough words in the English language to explain why this is a bad idea, but Law tries anyway. "Straw Hat- _Luffy."_ Law corrects, when Straw Hat just frowns at him, the stubborn set of his jaw saying that he wont listen if Law doesn't call him by his name. "Do you even realize what you're asking? This is serious. The ramifications for the alliance alone are a fucking nightmare. You don't even fucking know me, not really." Straw Hat opens his mouth, no doubt to protest, but Law just glares him down. "And fuck, what would we even do if we were married? We're fucking pirates. This isn't some fairy tale where you can fuck off and live in domestic bliss."

"So?" Straw Hat shrugs. "Why does that matter? I don't see why marrying you would stop me from being a pirate." Law makes a noise of frustration and rakes his fingers through his hair, knocking his hat askew. Fuck, he needs some coffee. Or another bottle of sake. Either. Both.

"I like you." Straw Hat says, forging onwards. "I want to marry you. Why sweat the small stuff?"

_Because this is fucking insane-_

Law stares at Straw Hat. It feels like the whole world has been tossed on its head. Everything is same, Zou, the palace, even the fucking music still drifting up from the party, and yet it feels like hes looking at the world through a mirror. Straw Hat is rather good at that, Law thinks bitterly. Straw Hat seems to take Law's silence as consent, or at least a vague indication of compliance, because he rocks on his heels, nodding. 

"You don't have to decide now." Straw Hat says, meeting Law's eyes with a grin. He looks all too fucking cheerful for just having turned Law's world on it's head. Law can almost hear things breaking, the phantom echo of things shattering simply due to the sheer chaos Straw Hat's presence. _"Shishishi._ I like you, I'll wait. If you don't want to marry me, that's fine. But if you change your mind..."

"I-" Law starts, but the words don't come. He doesn't- What does he even say in this situation?

"Shush! Don't say anything now." Straw Hat grins, grabbing Law's hand. For a single moment their fingers are woven together, Straw Hat squeezing his hand so tightly its almost painful, and Straw Hat smiles. "Just think about it. I'll wait! It's a promise!"

Before Law can pull himself together enough to compose a coherent response, Straw Hat leans in, giving him a gentle peck on the corner of his mouth, and then he's stepping back again, disentangling their fingers and retreating with a grin. "Promise to think about it!" Straw Hat says, shooting Law one last grin, and then he's vaulting over the rail and dropping down into the courtyard below, one hand clamped on his hat to keep it from flying away. Law is left staring after him, still trying to mutely put together a response. 

There's a cheerful shout from below as Straw Hat barrels into some poor drunk, then laughter, his crew calling his name as the rest of the Straw Hats finally spot their errant captain. Law leans on the rail, needing the support, his cigarette burning away forgotten in his hand. He drags in a low breath, scrubbing one hand over his face, staring down at the courtyard. 

Finally Law lets out a ragged breath, bringing the cigarette back to his lips. "What the _fuck_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luffy: i will never share the meat. the meat is all mine. fight me  
> also Luffy: hey torao here have this steak. its my favorite. i got it just for you  
> the rest of the straw hats: shocked pikachu face
> 
> Welp, its only taken 88k words for Law and Luffy to get their shit together. Or at least for Luffy to get his shit together and decide to make a move. Watch Law flail around for another century before deciding what to do about it lol
> 
> Gotta hand it to Luffy tho, he cuts right to the chase.


	9. down in the deep

Law spends the rest of the night in a restless sort of haze. He feels too drunk, too sober, too tired, too damn awake. His thoughts run in circles, snapping and snarling like stray dogs, sharp and grating and all too damn noisy. Attempting to sleep is a futile endeavor when Law is this wired, but he tries anyway, if only to escape the aching encroachment of the headache growing behind his temples. 

He finds himself lying in bed, listening to the snoring of his crew. They lay sprawled throughout the guest quarters, scattered across whatever surface managed to catch their drunken eye. A couple made it to their beds, but more than a few lay unconscious on the floor. Bepo snores in the bed next to him, a clawed foot prodding him in the knee, and Law tolerates it because even that's better than spending another miserable hour pacing the halls, chain smoking and trying to work out the logic of a madman. 

Again and again he finds himself coming back to that conversation on the balcony, nagging at it like a splinter caught beneath his skin. The moonlight cuts a slow path across the bed while Law lies there, restless and miserable. He's exhausted, so weary he can feel it right down to his very bones, and yet his thoughts move too fast and frantic to let him drift off. 

It would be easier, he thinks, if he could just kill Straw Hat. That would put and end to all of it. It would be a neat and final way to rid himself of the headaches Straw Hat has been causing him. And why not? It's not as if Law hasn't killed people for less. 

When the first rays of sunlight begin lightening the sky Law loses patience. Bepo makes a low grumble of complaint as Law shoves his arm out of the way, slipping off the bed and stalking across the room towards the kitchen. Sachi is snoring on the floor, drool running down his cheek, and Law steps over him without a second glance, slipping from the room. If he can't fucking sleep anyway the least he can do is have some fucking coffee. 

Merlow, the bastard, is already up and about, standing in the kitchen with a cup of tea and the morning's paper splayed across the counter. Law sends him a vicious look and stalks over to the kettle, setting it to boil as he scrounges around in the cupboards, looking for coffee. Every empty cupboard is a personal affront, shaving away bloody chunks of what little patience Law has left, and after the fourth time he yanks open a cupboard and finds nothing, he seriously contemplates getting Kikoku and just slicing them all open. 

Merlow watches him with a detached sort of bemusement from across the room, expression carefully neutral as he watches Law's already black mood fester. Finally Merlow takes pity on him and nods his head towards the counter, towards a collection of empty bottles. "If it's the coffee you want, it's in a jar there."

Law grunts, snatching it up, and dumps half the jar into the strainer. He waits out the boiling of the water in miserable silence, fingers tapping on the counter. The whistle of the kettle is a balm to his soul, and Law snatches it up, pouring it into the pot. The first sip of coffee is too hot and watery, not yet properly brewed. It burn his tongue but Law swallows it anyway, already taking another sip, his eyes slipping shut as he collapses against the counter, hands cupping the mug. 

"Did you even sleep?" Merlow asks, eyeing Law from over the top of his own mug. The slight disapproval in his voice says he already knows the answer, but then that's no surprise. Everyone and their fucking grandmother knows about Law's issues with insomnia, he's hardly subtle about it.

Law doesn't respond, taking another scalding sip of his coffee. Not that Merlow seems to expect him to, because he just sighs and turns back to his paper, flipping to the next page. "Have some water as well." Merlow says. "You're probably already dehydrated after last night."

"I don't need a fucking diagnosis." Law snaps, sending Merlow a low glare, but he grabs himself a cup anyway, downing it in two long gulps. 

"And yet somehow I think your headache will thank me for it." Merlow says, adding another lump of sugar to his tea. Like he has any place to comment of Law's diet with the metric fuckton of sugar he put's into his own drinks. He might not drink, but that doesn't mean he has a leg to stand on. 

"Fuck off." Law glowers, and Merlow just shrugs, turning back to his paper. 

Law sips at the first cup of coffee impatiently, aggravating his already scalded tongue, and pours himself a second as soon as he's done. That one he allows himself to go a bit slower with, savoring the richness of the taste and the bitter tang of whatever strain Zou grows. The soft buzz of caffeine is a comfort, and Law finds himself loosening, leaning back against the counter, eyes slipping shut as he inhales the steam. Some days it feels like all that keeps Law on his feet is caffeine and pure unadulterated spite.

Jean Bart is the next to rise, lumbering into the kitchen a little while after the clock strikes seven. The sun is well and truly up at that point, spilling in through the window's in a golden puddle that crawls across the room. He makes a polite noise of greeting as he spots Merlow, making a beeline for the fridge, and nods at Law where he lies sprawled in a chair by the window, sipping at his coffee and relishing the warm play of the sun on his skin. 

Jean Bart settles across the table from him with his breakfast, looking none the worse for fear for the long night of drinking - a courtesy of his half-giant heritage, Law suspects - and Law tries not to hate him for it. "Good morning, Captain." Jean Bart says, quietly. But then Jean Bart is always quiet. "You look..."

"Like shit." Merlow cuts in dryly, when Jean Bart lingers too long trying to find a more polite way to say it. 

"Merlow." Law says flatly, not moving from where he lies slumped in his seat. "Another word and I'll cut off your head and throw it out the window."

Merlow rolls his eyes, making a huffing noise, but he stops prodding at Law, and Law closes his eyes again without enacting further punishment. Clione and Noya are the next to drag themselves out of bed, shuffling into the kitchen one after the other as the hour crawls by. No doubt the rest of his crew are well and truly dead to the world and probably will be until some time after noon. Conversation is few and far between, hushed when it happens at all. All of them are feeling the effects of last night in some way or another, save perhaps Merlow, but he's a surly bastard to begin with. 

It's barely past nine when the first knock on the door sounds. Law's eyes slip open and he glares at it, daring them to try again. No such luck. The knock comes again, polite but insistent, and finally Merlow gives in, going to open it. For a long second Law hopes it might be something innocuous. Housekeeping or breakfast or something, whatever the fuck it is people in a palace do, but his hopes are dashed when Merlow turns back, looking at him. "Captain, it's for you."

"'Course it fucking is." Law grumbles, but hauls himself to his feet anyway. Merlow steps away, leaving him to it, and Law takes his place. _"What?"_ He snaps impatiently, glare fit to curdle milk. 

The Mink in the doorway looks far too chipper, unperturbed by Law's foul temper, and they bow neatly, hands clasped together before them. "Inuarashi and Nekomamushi would like to invite the Heart Pirates to a council meeting with the Straw Hats and the honored guests from Wano. They are waiting in the Autumn Suite."

"Right now?" Law asks, irritated, and the Mink just nods, smiling pleasantly. There is little less Law wants to do right now than attend a fucking council, let alone one in the presence of Straw Hat, but it's not like he can refuse. Their presence here depends on Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's ongoing goodwill, and they seem to have business with the samurai, whatever it is. Law isn't keen on finding out what their reaction would be if he told them all to fuck off. 

"Fine." Law says. He turns, reaching out a hand. His men yelp as a _Room_ envelop the guest quarters. A moment later the coffee pot lands in his hand, freshly brewed and full to the brim, earning dismayed cries from the kitchen. "Captain, no fair-"

"Too bad." Law says, shutting the door on any complaints. The Mink's whiskers twitch, but they otherwise done say a word, leading Law through the quiet halls of the Whale palace. There's a restless feeling in his stomach, a heavy knot of anxious energy, and Law can't tell if it's irritation, resentment, or just fucking apprehension at the thought of having to see Straw Hat again and deal with all- _this_. Whatever the fuck this is. 

It still doesn't feel quiet real, and more than once over the course of the night Law has seriously contemplated the possibility that it was just a drunken hallucination, some sort of bizarre make-believe concocted by an influenced mind. But it's not. Law knows its not, and that's somehow worse. Straw Hat fucking proposed to him, and now Law has to figure out what the fuck to do about it. 

The Mink leads him to a hall with sliding screens embossed in gold and deep sunset red, the paper painted with the sweeping fall of yellowing leaves. A master work, and probably worth a fortune besides. Law barely pays it a glance, striding into the room with his face already set in a glower. 

The Straw Hats are already there, sitting scattered around a long table, and Law eyes skip to Straw Hat of their own accord. For a second their eyes meet, Straw Hat grinning and calling a greeting, and then Straw Hat is turning back to Momonosuke, caught up in a cheerful argument that seems to have no point save to tease an increasingly riled up Momonosuke. He says nothing about the conversation last night, his demeanor the same as it ever was, and it leaves Law, who spent the night tossing and turning and half convinced his best option was burying a hatchet in his own skull, feeling more rankled than ever. 

Law forces himself to look away, collapsing into the nearest chair and pouring himself a new cup of coffee, intent on ignoring as much of the proceedings as possible. Nekomamushi and Inuarashi kick off the meeting, thanking the Straw Hats and Law once more for their help in the recent crisis. Law lets it wash over him, listening with half an ear as he slowly and steadily makes his way through the pot of coffee.

Then it's the samurai's turn to talk. They reveal that, surprise of all surprises, there is actually another samurai on Zou. The fact that Momonosuke is apparently the kid of the previous daimyo in Wano is new, but even then Law can't find it in himself to be properly shocked. Caesar and Doflamingo put in far too much effort trying to dispose of the boy and Kaidou's recent endeavors to try and capture the samurai only confirmed that there's something afoot. 

Law takes another long sip of his coffee, scrubbing his hands over his face, and finds himself marveling at the fact he's still even here. He has the Heart Pirates, he has the _Polar Tang_. There's nothing stopping him from setting sail right this minute and leaving Straw Hat and all this insanity behind him. Its a tempting thought. A very tempting thought. 

But a more sensible, logical part of him knows that this alliance is the best chance they have of fighting Kaidou. Law isn't especially keen to embark on a second suicide mission so soon after the first, but its not like he has much of a choice. They've drawn their line in the sand, now its time to stick with it. Law couldn't give less of a fuck about Wano, but alone the Heart Pirates won't stand a chance against Kaidou. If they run, sure they might be safe for a while, but Kaidou will eventually come for them and when he does they won't have the firepower of the Straw Hats on their side to help them through the fight. 

Kin'emon clears his throat, stepping forward. As one the samurai go to their knees, dropping into a low bow, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi joining them until all of them kneeling on the cold stone floor. Law narrows his eyes, sitting up straighter, coffee momentarily forgotten.

"Straw Hat-donos, Trafalgar-dono - you have done us a service that we will never be able to repay, saving us from Doflamingo and bringing us here, and yet now we must ask you for one more service." Kin'emon says, voice low and solemn. "Kaidou slew the Lord Oden, chasing Momonosuke from his home. Momonosuke is now all that stands between Kaidou and true rule of Wano, and he will not stop until Momonosuke lies dead. We beg you for your aid! Help us defeat Kaidou and liberate Wano. Help us fulfill Lord Oden's last wish and open the borders of Wano." 

"Of course we will-" Usopp starts, but Straw Hat silences him with a look. For a long moment there's silence save for the soft noises of Momonosuke's sobbing. Describing his father's death had been too much for him, and he's been sniffling every since. Law's fingers clench around Kikoku's hilt and he finds himself watching Straw Hat.

Straw Hat's silence surprises him. He thought he'd be the first to agree, leaping at the chance to protect his precious friends, but Straw Hat's expression is uncharacteristically serious as he looks at the kneeling samurai. 

The silence stretches on, the tension growing so thick that Law can almost taste it, and yet Straw Hat still doesn't speak. When Straw Hat finally moves, it's to look and Momonosuke. Momonosuke has barely said a world this whole time, head bowed and shoulder shaking slightly as he tries to wipe away his tears with the sleeve of his robe. Law makes a low noise, unimpressed, and takes a sip of his coffee, watching it play out indifferently. 

"And you? You're the lord of Wano right? _Their_ lord." Straw Hat says, nodding at the bowing warriors. Momonosuke's breath hitches, a fresh wave of tears spilling down his face, tiny shoulder curling in on themselves, but Straw Hat just looks at him evenly. "What do you want?"

Momonosuke sucks in a sharp breath, his hands clenching in the fabric of his robes as the glares at the ground, shoulders shaking. "I-" His voice catches, tears blurring his vision, and he raises one hand to scrub at his face with his sleeve. When he pulls his hand away his face is clear of tears, head lifted to meet Straw Hat's eyes. "I- I want to beat him!" Momonosuke cries, tears spilling down his cheeks. "Kaidou killed my father- My mother-" His voice hitches, lost to sobs for a moment. "He killed them and I want- But I'm _weak_. I can't get vengeance, I can't even protect my retainers-"

"Lord Momonosuke!" Kin'emon cries, tears in his eyes, rising from his bow. "It is our fault! We could not protect Lord Oden or your lady mother! Do not blame yourself! It's our duty to protect you-"

"I want to fight!" Momonosuke sobs. "I want- I want to win. But I can't- Please, Luffy! I can't do it without you. I'm begging-" He cries, falling to his knees, lowering his head to the ground-

Only for Straw Hat to catch him by the shoulder, stilling him before he can reach the ground. "Don't." He says. His grin is a fierce thing, bright and dangerous. "We're allies right? That means we're friends. Friends don't bow to each other. Of course we'll help you fight Kaidou."

Law snorts, looking away. That sounds more like Straw Hat. Momonosuke lets out a strangled cry and throws himself at Straw Hat, sobbing openly, and Straw Hat lets him, grinning as Momonosuke shakes and wails, hands clenched in Straw Hat's shirt. "What are you crying for?" Straw Hat asks, grinning. "Kaidou won't stand a chance. Not against the Ninja-Pirate-Mink alliance!"

"And you?" Kin'emon says, turning to Law. "Will you help us?"

A refusal dances on the tip of his tongue, but Law swallows it back. He inclines his head, and Kin'emon slumps with relief, hands clenching on his thighs. Law doesn't look at Straw Hat, but he can feel his gaze on him, the full force of his smile directed at Law. It's the best chance of taking down Kaidou, Law tells himself. Their only chance at taking down Kaidou. 

Law just hopes he's not making a mistake. 

* * *

Tomorrow at dawn they will set sail for Wano. And after that... well, that's yet to be seen. They have precious little intelligence on the situation in Wano, no foothold in the country, and a fighting force that current encompasses two pirate crews and an island of wounded Minks.

It took Law months of preparation to take down Doflamingo's operation, with years of careful information gathering beforehand, and even that came close to failing completely. Now they aim to take on an even greater force with a fraction of the resources and time, and it says something about the miserable state they've found themselves in that it's _still_ somehow the best chance they have. 

"Are you sure you want to stay?" Kin'emon asks, turning to Momonosuke. "My lord, I'm not sure I feel comfortable leaving you."

Momonosuke balls his hands, but nods. "I know I'm nothing but a weakness right now, and the fiends would not hesitate to take advantage of my presence. I'll stay here with Inuarashi until things are more secure. And..." He says, glancing at Inuarashi. "I want to learn more about Zou, how the elephant managed to speak into my thoughts."

"He will be safe." Inuarashi vows, bowing his head to Kin'emon. "No harm will come to him while he is under our care, you can be sure of it."

"There are others we might be able to call upon to give aid." Nekomamushi says, his long pipe closed beneath his fangs. "Marco the Phoenix, for one. Few of Whitebeard's people were fond of Kaidou back in the day, and if we get word to them they might come to support us. I'll go looking for him and meet you at Wano."

Kin'emon and Kanjuro share a look, but nod, settling back in their seats. "Which leaves the rest of us-" Kin'emon says, nodding at the assembled Heart Pirates and Straw Hats. "-to go to Wano. Many things have changed since we were last there. We need to find a secure place from which to launch our assault, however with your help Luffy-dono, and yours Trafalgar-dono, we should be overwhelm any resistance."

"Nah." Straw Hat says, waving his hand. "I can't go to Wano yet. I gotta go get Sanji first."

"What?" Kin'emon balks, turning to gawk at Straw Hat. "But wasn't he taken by Big Mom? Surely you can't intend to fight her first? Taking on one even one of the Four Emperors is madness, let alone two-"

" _Shishishi!_ It'll be fine." Straw Hat says, waving a hand dismissively. "We'll get Sanji and meet you there. Just don't start anything before we arrive!"

Kin'emon makes a strangled noise, looking just about ready to start tearing out his own hair. "And you? You don't have a problem with this?" Kin'emon asks, rounding on Law. Law stares back at him flatly, not sure why the hell he thinks _Law_ has any say in the matter. When has he ever managed to make Straw Hat do anything he didn't want to? Straw Hat is a loose fucking cannon, madder than a sack full of feral cats, and Kin'emon thinks that Law can what? Control him? Law almost laughs. 

In the corner of his eye he can see Straw Hat grinning. Its the same cocksure, careless smile he always sports, and Law- Is too fucking tired to deal with this. _Any_ of this. He downs the rest of his coffee in one go, turning to look at Straw Hat flatly. "You'll get there on time?"

Straw Hat grins. When he speaks there's not a hint of doubt in his voice. "Yeah."

"Fine. Go." Law says, exhausted. Kin'emon is right, Straw Hat's plan is utterly ridiculous. If Straw Hat doesn't make it back then their plan is fucked, not to mention what would happen if Straw Hat managed to aggravate Big Mom- Which, Law notes miserably, is more than probable. It's in fact _likely_. It's a mess. Everything's a mess. And for once Law is too damn tired to try and argue his way out of it. 

Kin'emon gapes at them, having expected Law to be the voice of reason. Law ignores him. He stands, shouldering Kikoku, and nods to the room, turning to go. He needs a smoke. Or some coffee. Or a whole bottle of fucking vodka. He needs to make arrangements, talk to his crew, and most of all he needs to be away from Straw Hat and his stupid fucking grin. 

* * *

"Wait, so we're actually going to Wano? I mean, like sure, the samurai are cool and all, but _why_?" Ikkaku frowns, leaning over a crate as Law flips through the manifest, skimming over their inventory. The air filters have been replaced and the air canisters are all freshly renewed, which means they should be able to make the trip in a single dive. They'll need to stock more food to take into account the extra passengers though. 

There's an endless list of menial tasks to be done when prepping for departure, and each and every one of them is better than thinking about Straw Hat and this whole fucking- _thing_.

"Would you rather fight Kaidou alone?" Law says, not looking up from the manifest. Ikkaku winces, quickly shaking her head. The rest of the crew move around them, bringing in next boxes and checking the contents for any spoilage under Uni's keen gaze. Half of them are not-so-subtly listening in and other half are watching the conversation openly, making no effort to hide the fact they're just sitting there listening. Law doesn't care. At this point they all need to know, and he's not the sort of captain to jerk their crew around by keeping them in the dark. 

"Yeah, okay, I can see that. Just... a mission to liberate Wano, though. Feels like next thing we'll be signing up with the Revolutionary Army." Ikkaku says. 

"Don't tempt me." Law scowls and tosses her the manifest. Ikkaku rolls her eyes, but catches it, flipping back and forth to double check the numbers. 

"If this doesn't earn us some good karma, then nothing's right in the world. I mean, at least if Kaidou ends up completely totaling the place we might be able to make off with some stuff." She says, humming thoughtfully as she scans the page. "Hey, Clione! We're going to have to stock the anterior storeroom, so be sure to adjust the buoyancy chambers to manage the weight distribution."

"Of course. I'm not an idiot." Clione grumbles, hauling over another fuel canister. 

Law checks in with Bepo, making sure the rest of the preparations are on track, then nods. "Alright, start getting this stuff loaded up. I want everything packed by sundown. We're going to have passengers, so we'll have to double up on rooms to make sure there's enough beds." That earns a collective groan from the crew, but Law quiets it with a look. There are worse thing than being forced to share a bunk for a week and at this point Law has bigger things to worry about than some of his crew complaining about being forced to rub elbows. 

Bepo and the others have the preparations well in hand, and Law is left with little to do but watch. Everything that needs to be doubled checked has been, and at this point there's little to do to help save start hauling crates himself and Law hasn't sunken quite that low yet. He wanders off, ostensibly for a smoke. The Minks have begun moving back into the city proper, reclaiming their homes, and Law finds himself wandering through the streets, letting the scenes of the city's slow recovery distract him. 

There's a clamor from the southern gates, and Law doesn't have to look to know it's the Straw Hat's beginning the preparation for their own departure. Straw Hat is taking a skeleton crew with him to retrieve Black Leg, taking the _Thousand Sunny_ and leaving the rest of the Straw Hats and assorted samurai in the care of the Heart Pirates on the journey to Wano. They leave as soon as their ship is ready to sail. 

He tells himself he's not checking in on them, but lets the crowd drag him that way anyway. The Straw Hats are in full bustle, readying supplies and consulting their maps, a host of Minks gathered around them - whether to help or just to watch, Law doesn't know. From what he can see it's plenty of both. 

Chopper is the first to notice him, lighting up as he spots Law leaning against the gates. He waves, quickly trotting over. "Dr Trafalgar! I was hoping I would see you before we went!" He makes a bit of a face when a waft of smoke drifts his way, shooting a disappointed look at Law's cigarette. "Smoking? Dr. Trafalgar you should know better."

"Bite me." Law says, biting down on the end of the cigarette. There are a great many things Law shouldn't do. He shouldn't drink as much coffee as he does, shouldn't drink as much as he does, shouldn't smoke, shouldn't keep getting tattoos. Might as well stop being a pirate too, while he's at it. 

Chopper rolls his eyes, but hops up on the low wall next to Law anyway. "How's your arm doing? I heard that you ended up in a bad state on Dressrosa. Is it healing okay? Any side effects from the lead bullets?" 

He sounds so genuinely concerned. Law chuckles, bemused despite himself. "You know," Law says dryly. "I am a doctor. I even have a second doctor on my ship. I'm hardly ill cared for."

Chopper shrugs, rubbing at the bridge of his nose with one cloven hand. He smiles sheepishly. "I know, but I can't help it. It's what I do."

Law hums, amused. He snubs out the cigarette against the stone of the gate, more out of deference to Chopper's sensitive nose than because he's done with it. Bepo used to complain awfully when Law smoked, still does if he does it in the _Polar Tang_ without setting the ventilators on first. "I heard you took care of my crew during the attack." Law says, shooting Chopper a sideways glance. "I wanted to thank you. If you hadn't administered the antidote..."

It's a hard thing to say, that each and every member of his crew would have been dead if Chopper hadn't been there to save the day. Law came all too close to losing them all, and he wouldn't have even known until weeks later. He tries to imagine what it would have been like, arriving on Zou to find only corpses waiting- And shakes himself, clenching his fingers around Kikoku's hilt. Sometimes it's better not to think about _what ifs_.

Regardless, if there is any cause worth bending his pride for, this is it, and Law isn't so taciturn as to be ungrateful for what Chopper has done for him. 

"What? No! It was nothing! Or, well, it wasn't nothing, but you shouldn't thank me for it! I was just doing what any doctor would do! Any good doctor, I mean-" Chopper stammers, a fierce blush coming over his face. He fiddles with his hooves, too embarrassed to meet Law's eyes as his objections trail off into indistinguishable mumbling. Law lets him, turning his eyes to the gathered crowd instead as Chopper slowly gathers back together his composure. 

With so few people departing, the preparations take little more than and hour or two, and most of that comes from hauling fresh water and rations down the side of the elephant as they stock the _Thousand Sunny_ for the trip. By the looks of it, it won't be more than another half hour before they're ready to set off. 

Law can tell the exact moment Straw Hat spots him, because a grin splits his face ear to ear and he bounds over, making a beeline right for them. "Torao! Did you come to see us off?"

"Something like that." Law says, too exhausted to be truly pissy. There's a certain point after which everything just becomes numb and inconsequential, and Law fears he passed it a while ago. He should be angry. _Is_ angry. But he's also mostly just tired. 

"I thought you'd make more of a fuss about us going." Straw Hat grins, bouncing to a stop before him. 

"Would anything I said have changed your mind?" Law asks, sending Straw Hat a flat look. He already knows what the answer will be. 

" _Shishishi!_ Nope!" Straw Hat laughs, and Law finds himself sighing, utterly unsurprising. There's a call from behind them, Nami waving for Straw Hat, telling them they're ready to go, and Straw Hat grins, rocking on the balls of his feet as Chopper scrambles back down from the wall, quickly making his farewells and trotting over to her. Straw Hat lingers for a second, meeting Law's eyes with a grin. "Guess it's time to go! I'll see you next time, Torao."

Law meets his eyes and feels the full weight of last night bear down on him. The way Straw Hat had looked at him, grinning, as bright and careless as ever, and yet somehow soft, his eyes all too fond. _I'll wait. It's a promise._

And then Straw Hat is bounding off, charging back into the crowd without waiting for a reply from Law. It's just as well, Law thinks, because he doesn't think he could have said something if he tried. There's a cacophony of shouting and cheerful cries as the Straw Hats say their farewells, the Minks seeing them off in full cheer, and then they're gone, disappearing down the path through the forest.

Law watches until the last of the Minks disappear from sight, a large party going to see the Straw Hats off at the docks, and then turns back, wandering back through the gates of the city to go find his own men.

* * *

Law sinks into the captain's chair, slumping into the beaten surface of the chair with a comfort born of familiarity. He'd hated the thing when he first got the _Polar Tang_ , had sworn to get it replaced at the first opportunity, but he'd never gotten around to it. By the time he could afford it he'd grown fond of it, had learnt how to angle himself so the stiff edges wouldn't dig into his sides and the worn dents became familiar curves, comfortable if he sat just so. 

He traces his fingers along the arm rest, feeling the hum of the _Polar Tang_ 's engines purring in preparation for the dive. His crew moves around him, calling orders back and forth as they check the systems for launch, and Law allows his eyes to slip shut for a second, feeling the slight shift of the ship back and forth as the waves slosh against the hull. It's such a small thing, it shouldn't feel so comforting. 

"Ready to dive, captain." Bepo says, looking up from his station. Zou is one of the very few islands in which departure involves no risk of scraping the hull. The moment they release their moorings they can plunge directly to the seafloor without having to skirt a continental shelf.

Law's eyes snap open, and he straightens. "Take us down, and keep us well clear of Zou's legs. I don't want to end this day with a flattened hull because we got too close."

"Aye aye, captain." Bepo calls, all too cheerful, and the rest of the crew leap to obey. It's the first time launch since Law came back, and all of them are feeling the excitement of the Heart Pirates finally being back together. There's a low shudder as the buoyancy chambers engage, releasing pressure, and then the _Polar Tang_ is sinking, waves rising to engulf the cockpit. Within moments the window's are completely submerged, lost in a frothing mess of waves, and then they drop below the surface and all goes still, the great void of the ocean stretching before them, dark and empty save for the occasional shadow of a distant school of fish. 

Law watches it, letting out a gentle sigh as the last of the tension leaves his frame as the _Polar Tang_ sinks into the depths. "Feels good to be back."

"Hm? What was that captain?" Ikkaku asks, looking up from the pressure gauges.

"I said tell Clione to do a round and check if all that new sealant is holding. I don't want any leaks." Law says, and Ikkaku nods, taking off down the hall with a jaunty step. No doubt she'll use the orders as an opportunity to rile Clione up, making implications about the quality of his work, and he'll end up charging around the ship with Penguin and Sachi in tow, furiously scouring every surface for any possible hint of a leak just to prove her wrong. Law doesn't care. So long as the job gets done, he doesn't care what she says. The two of them will fight it our eventually. Probably. 

Bepo meets his eye as he looks over the bridge, checking everyone has a good grip on their stations. They do of course. They always do. Any one of them could take the _Polar Tang_ into a dive in their sleep. "Do you want to call it captain, or shall I?" Bepo asks, nodding towards the comms. 

"Do it." Law says, and Bepo leans forward, thumbing the intercom. 

_"Polar Tang, this is your first mate speaking. We've begun our dive and will be dropping to a depth of 8,000 ft over the course of the next 13 hours. We expect to reach Wano in 9 days, depending on the currents. For those new to diving, please be aware that the gradual pressure change can be disconcerting..."_

* * *

There's a phenomenon that occurs in the deep ocean. Light gives way quickly as you dive, faltering in the face endless, empty span of the deep. A couple of dozen meters down and the light already begins to weaken - full, bright sunlight fading to a more muted hue. But even that doesn't last, and by the time you reach a couple of hundred meters, a couple of thousand, the light cuts out entirely, leaving nothing but sheer unending black. 

This deep the pressure is crushing. Sunless, sightless, the only things that live down here are creatures that have never seen the light of day. Pale, grasping faces that pass by the windows, bodies contorted into flowing shapes only possible beneath the crushing weight of several million tons of water. In the headlights of the _Polar Tang_ they look like little more than ghosts - strange, stretched shapes that shift at the very edge of the torch beams, disappearing back into the gloom with a flash of too-wide eyes. 

Law finds it comforting, more than he probably should. This deep and even the sea kings get sluggish, preferring to ignore their ship entirely as they float past, shining eyes fixed on distant prey. It's quiet down here, eerily so. No sound permeates the gloom save the gentle hum of the _Polar Tang's_ own engines. When the crew is asleep and the halls are quiet and empty you can almost imagine what it would be like to be the only person in the world. 

The displays blink in intermittent flickers of red, tracking the depth and velocity, and Law shoots a cursory glance over the control board, checking the sonar for any new developments before leaning back in his chair. When they're this deep the bridge requires only a skeleton crew, enough people to check the displays every once in a while and make sure a current hasn't drifted them off course. The only possible threat to the ship is the emergence of a sudden shelf rise or a deep sea range and those are easily avoided, appearing on the sonar over the course of hours. 

The rest of the crew retired a couple of hours ago, still attuned to a surface shift cycle, and Law had left them to it, offering to take the first shift on the bridge. None of them complained, too exhausted after the barrage of systems checks Law had had them run over the course of the dive. It's a little risky doing a dive this deep straight after making repairs, but they take it slowly, checking and rechecking the systems for any hint of fault as they sank deeper into the gloom. Still it's tedious, repetitive work, and Law doesn't blame the crew for being a little worn out. 

Law scrubs his hands across his face, making a low noise of frustration, glowering at darkness beyond the window. That night on the balcony comes back to him all too easily in these quiet moments. He can still hear the murmur of Straw Hat's voice, the dark of his eyes in the dim light of the bonfire, leaning in. _Hey, Torao-_

_I like you and I wanted to kiss you, so I did-_

_I'd be yours, if you asked-_ Law sits up abruptly, prowling around the deck to glance at the displays once more. He's not thinking about this. He refuses to think about it, refuses to even contemplate the fact it even happened. This whole fucking- _situation_. It's ridiculous. 

Law occupies himself with scrutinizing the barometer. The pressure readings are looking good, outer plating showing no signs of distress. Looks like the new sealant is holding well, which is a relief. The last thing they want to do is have to do a patch job at this depth.

It takes only a few minutes to run a full systems check, everything coming back in green, and Law scowls at the results. The fuel gauge is looks fine. The first part of the dive never uses much fuel, gravity doing most of the work, and once they find a good current to coast on most of their fuel consumption comes from occasionally adjusting course. They should have more than enough to fuel to get them to Wano, air too with the new filters Clione and the others installed. The systems are working as well as they ever have, and Law sinks back into his chair somewhat resentfully. Why is it the one time he wants a distraction, everything actually works?

God, every time Law thinks he might be starting to get a grip on Straw Hat Straw Hat does something to pull the rug out from under him. Just when he's starting to- Well, not make sense, but at least get a vague sense of the level of crazy he's dealing with, Straw Hat does something like _this_. 

A fucking _proposal_. It's ridiculous. Straw Hat is ridiculous. 

If it were anybody else Law might think it was a ploy, some attempt to try and weasel something out of him, make him let down his guard. But this is Straw Hat. He couldn't tell a lie to save his own life, let alone pull off this sort of drawn out scheme. And anyway, what could he gain from it that Law hasn't already agreed to give in the alliance? Law's already agreed to help fight Kaidou and he can't think of a single other thing Straw Hat might plausibly want that he couldn't just go out and get for himself. Money? Power? The Straw Hats are already plenty strong and pirates of their caliber have no problem getting money if they set their mind to it. Influence perhaps, but Law isn't a Shichibukai anymore and anyway, Straw Hat's not the type to care about that sort of thing.

His next thought is a joke, that this is some sort of bizarre, ill thought out jest. Straw Hat is an idiot, acts like an utter buffoon half the time, and Law wouldn't put it past him to do this sort of thing as some sort of prank, except... Law hasn't known Straw Hat to joke about this sort of thing. Straw Hats sense of humor can be crass, but its not cruel, not like this. 

More alarming is the prospect that Straw Hat might actually be serious. He might actually just _like_ Law. 

It's... unsettling. A cold agenda Law could understand. Even making an advance for the sake of strengthening the alliance in the face of the upcoming fight - a rather mercenary tactic, but not unreasonable. But this? Law and Straw Hat hardly know each other, and despite what Straw Hat might say they've never hard the sort of rapport that would justify this sort of thing. And yet-

_I like you._

Law doesn't believe in love at first sight. He's seen far too many times what happens when people let themselves be seduced, how claims of love can so quickly turn into a knife at the throat. Law's never been the type to seek company. The few liaisons he's had over the years have been brief and impersonal, spanning only one night and then quickly forgotten - and that's the way Law likes it. He has no patience for romance, nor the sentimental entanglements that accompany it, and while sex is occasionally pleasant Law rarely finds it motivating enough to make up for the effort involved.

And as for love... there's no such thing, at least not for Law. There is no room for it in his life, no world in which he exists in which soft, sweet romance plays any part. Perhaps somewhere out there there are people who do truly love each other, but they exist in a different world than Law. A kinder world, forgiving enough to allow that sort of thing. 

Law scrubs his hands over his face, letting out a frustrated breath. Law's not naive enough to think that this thing Straw Hat wants, whatever it is, will end well. Things like this never do. His first instinct is to reject Straw Hat outright, put him down hard and fast and quash it before it can develop into a bigger problem - but what impact will that have on the alliance?

"God, what a fucking mess." Law mutters, searching through his pockets until he finds his packet of cigarettes before yanking one out and shoving it between his teeth. He doesn't light it, not yet, just grits it between his teeth in the hopes that the ghost of the nicotine will help sooth some of the stress tying knots up his spine.

This is is why he doesn't like sentimentality. It's all so goddamn messy. Kaidou is bearing down on all their heads, the alliance between the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates the only think keeping him from just crushing them underfoot. The last thing they need is for some blow up between Law and Straw Hat sending the whole thing crashing down around their heads. 

If Law were truly cruel he'd use it to his advantage. Straw Hat already has an attachment to him, and it would be all to easy to play on that, use that to strengthen his position in the alliance, secure the Straw Hat's loyalty and compliance. And yet the thought sits wrong with him, leaving a black, oily feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like it or not, the Straw Hats have had his back, _Straw Hat_ has had his back, and Law is all too aware of the fact that without Straw Hat's help, without Chopper's intervention... neither Law nor his men would be here today.

And maybe Straw Hat does actually like him, but if he does perhaps the kindest thing Law can do for him is ignore it, pretend that night on the balcony never happened.

"Right." Law says, leaning back in his chair once more. He sighs, dragging his fingers through his hair, and lets his head fall back against the chair with a thunk, staring wearily at the darkness beyond the glass. "Alright."

* * *

The next two days pass smoothly. They hit a good current about about six hours after reaching their cruising depth and turn the _Polar Tang_ right into it, letting it carry them along with only the most minor course adjustments. This deep they have no need to worry about ill weather or running into Marines, and save for steering out of the way of the occasional sea king or deep sea mount, there's little to do but let the current carry them along. 

Something shifts by his knee, and Law drags his eyes open to find Bepo watching him. Sometime while Law was dozing Bepo had set himself up at the foot of the captain's chair, his notebook open in his lap as he works his way through the trajectory calculations, back pressed up against the bulk of the chair, close enough that Law's leg presses against his back. 

"Sorry." Bepo says, slipping his pencil between the pages to hold his place. "Did I wake you?"

"I wasn't asleep." Law says, but they both know it's a lie. The _Polar Tang's_ engines hum gently around them, and the soft noise of it is almost enough to lull him back to sleep. Law shakes himself instead, sitting upright, and glances at the clock with a jaw cracking yawn, the last vestiges of his dreams fading away, leaving nothing but a lingering ache deep in his chest. 

On good days he dreams of his family in the days before the Amber Lead Syndrome, of Cora's smile as the boat rocks beneath them, always on the move, always running from one hospital to the next - but even those dreams hurt in their own way, the loss all the more poignant for the reminder of what he'd once had, the people that he will never see again.

Sometimes he doesn't know which is worse, the dreams or the thought of forgetting. Most days he can barely remember Lami's face. The human brain is funny like that - he can remember the exquisite detail the taste of moldering bread in those hungry weeks after Flevance, but he can't remember the colour of his father's hair, the sound of his mother's voice, what their childhood home had looked like, the night before it burned. 

No graves were dug in Flevance, no memorials erected. If Law were to ever go back all he would find is empty ruins, all memory of the place so thoroughly destroyed that not a single thing remains save its name, and even that is spoken in hushed, fearful whispers. Even Cora was buried with no grave, nothing left of him save the beating of Law's heart in his chest and the power that now courses through his veins.

If Law didn't remember them, would there be anything left to prove that they ever existed at all?

Bepo nods his head, accepting the denial without comment. "Sure. Should I send Sachi to get you some coffee?" _Are you going to sleep again?_

"Mm." Law says, smothering a yawn as he scrubs his fingers through his hair. None of the crew pay him any mind, Ikkaku only glancing up from the helm for the barest moment, but all of them well used to Law's habits. He glances at the display and makes a noise when he spots the time. Five hours. It's been a while since he slept that long in one go.

"No." Law says eventually, rising from the captains chair and rolling his shoulders, ignoring he slight ache of the crick in his neck from where he'd slept sprawled over the hard bulk of the chair. "I'll get it myself. Might as well check in with the crew while I'm at it."

Bepo nods, opening his notebook and returning to his calculations. Law leaves Kikoku braced against the arm of the chair, stepping over Bepo's legs. No doubt Bepo will steal his seat as soon as he's gone, but Law doesn't mind. He won't be needed back on the bridge for another few hours, and even then manning the helm isn't nothing anybody else on the crew couldn't do. 

Law heads for the mess, tugging his hat back on his head as he goes, and blinks blearily at his reflection in the glass as he waits for his coffee to brew. The bags under his eyes are slightly smaller than usual, no longer quite so bruising, and while Law doesn't exactly look great, he looks a little bit less like death warmed over than he has these last few months. Merlow raises a brow when he sees the coffee, but for once he doesn't make a comment about Law's caffeine intake - what a surprise, Law must really look less like shit today. 

Law sighs, leaning back against the counter and taking a sip of his coffee as he glances around the mess, noting who's up and about. By necessity the _Polar Tang_ runs on a two shift cycle, alternating between twelve hour shifts. Meal times occur on the dot every six hours, with the crew showing up to whichever meals they please. One man's dinner might be another's breakfast, and its just as likely to see people having their third meal of the day as their first. The crew are used to it. Most have been with the _Polar Tang_ for years and have adapted to life in the deep. Those that didn't... well, they didn't tend to stick around for long, moving on to berths on more traditional ships. 

The usual alpha shift crowd is about, Clione sitting with Penguin and Sachi, while Jean Bart lurks in the kitchen, picking though the offerings left out by the kitchen crew. Usopp and Franky seem to have fallen in with Clione and the engineering crew - not that Law is surprised, like tends to attract like and engineers can't seem to resist the opportunity to talk shop. From what he can make out about the latest specs of... _something_. There's talk of ionic conductance and micro-fibular insulators, and most of it goes entirely over Law's head. 

"How are they doing?" Law asks Jean Bart, glancing at the Straw Hats across the mess. The _Polar Tang_ rarely carries guests, and for good reason. Not everyone adapts well to the life in a submarine. There's a certain claustrophobia to it, being locked thousands of feet beneath the surface in a limited space, unable to see the sky. The days can stretch down here, timeless without the moon or sun to mark their passing, and left alone it's all too easily to become completely disjointed from the normal day-night cycle. In conditions like these it's all too easy for slight unease to give way to full blown panic, and if something goes wrong they're half a day below the surface.

"The Straw Hat's are adapting well." Jean Bart replies, following his gaze. "One of the samurai, Kanjuro, was having a bit of trouble, but Merlow managed to talk him through it. Nico Robin's the only one of the Straw Hats actually following a shift though, been sticking with alpha."

Law hums thoughtfully, sipping at his coffee. Most of the the crew have a shift they prefer. Clione and Merlow keep strictly to alpha shift, preferring to keep their sleep cycle more closely aligned with the day-night cycle, while Noya exclusively takes beta shift, stalking the halls in the quiet hours when most of the crew is asleep. Law is an oddity, floating haphazardly between shifts, but that's less to do with preference than the fact that Law's sleep schedule is a mess even before the addition of perpetual darkness. By the end of the trip, Franky and Usopp will have not doubt completely thrown off their sleep cycle, Roronoa too - but then he sleeps in fits and starts even under normal circumstances, so maybe it wont be too much of a change for him. 

"And no issues with the crew?" The _Polar Tang_ is not a small ship, but she's no galleon either and with the added guests it's easy for people to step on each others toes. The crew always gets testy when they're forced to bunk up, and almost everyone is doubling up on rooms right now, forced to rub elbows in order to make room for the Straw Hats and assorted samurai - not that Roronoa has ever actually slept in the bunk they provided. Half the time Law spots him napping on the observation deck or in the corner of the mess. 

"Penguin and Sachi got into a fight." Jean Bart says, but Law just rolls his eyes. Penguin and Sachi are always fighting. At this point it'd be more concerning if there wasn't a scuffle or two. "Apart from that, nothing serious. Noya was bunking with Uni, but something about it was making Noya techy, so now Noya's bunking with me."

Law hums thoughtfully, not surprised. Noya is prickly at the best of times, let alone when they're forced to share a bunk. He trusts Jean Bart will be able to head off any issues - the two of them get along surprisingly well considering Noya's... eccentric personality.

"Well." Law says. "Lets see if they can keep it up for the rest of the week. It'd be just our luck if someone blows a fucking hole in the side of the ship."

"Bit extreme, don't you think?" Jean Bart says, sounding slightly bemused. 

"You've met the Straw Hats." Law snorts, rising from his chair. "But so long as nobody tries to challenge Roronoa to a spar, we should be okay."

Jean Bart nods, and Law leaves him to it, snagging a fresh cup of coffee on his way out of the mess as he goes in search of the samurai. Law may have agreed to help reclaim Wano, but he'll be damned if he's going to run into it half cocked. The samurai won't have told them everything, people never do, and while normally Law wouldn't give a fuck this time if things so tits up it's the lives of his crew's on the line. Wano is going to be a shitshow from start to finish, Law can already tell, and if they want to have even the slightest chance of success Law needs to know the full breadth of the situation. 

In the end the samurai aren't hard to track down. He finds them on the observation deck, arguing with Roronoa. Law arrives just in time to hear the tail end of it, pausing to watch from the door as Kin'emon paces back and forth furiously before Roronoa. "-don't know how you could have come by it, Roronoa-dono, but I don't think you understand its importance. If the people of Wano were to hear that Shusui had been found-"

"It doesn't matter." Roronoa says gruffly, narrowing his eye at Kin'emon. It's probably the closest Law has ever seen him to actually angry. Oh, Law has seen him get into spats with Black Leg often enough, but that's little more than play fighting. For someone so bloodthirsty, Roronoa is remarkably even-tempered. "It's my sword. It was given to me by Ryuma after I beat him. I'm not going to give it up." 

"You must understand how unbelievable that sounds." Kin'emon says desperately. "Shimotsuki-sama died hundred of years ago. How could he have given it to you-"

Roronoa makes a low noise, irritated, shifting in his seat with the same restless motion of a cat unsheathing its claws, and Law chooses that moment to cut in. "As entertaining is this is, we have actual business to discuss."

All heads turn his way, Roronoa blinking at him with a lazy sort of indifference while Kin'emon makes a surprised noise, quickly dropping into a low bow. "Trafalgar-dono! How can we help you?"

"I think it's time we heard the rest of the story." Law says flatly, folding his arms and leaning against the door frame. Kin'emon's smile goes tense and Raizo makes a concerted effort to look anywhere but at Law, guilt written all over his face. Kanjuro is the only one who's expression doesn't budge, and that concerns Law most of all. He at least is a practiced liar. 

"Trafalgar-dono-" Kin'emon starts, but Law just cuts him off with a wave, already looking to Roronoa. 

"Gather the rest of your people. It's time we put all our cards on the table." Law says, and Roronoa rises, mouth quirking with the faintest hint of a smirk. 

"Sure." Roronoa says, drifting past Law. "Sounds interesting."

* * *

The observation room is crowded with everyone pressed into it. Law sprawls on the couch nearest the windows, Bepo a solid presence at his back. 

Their various guests sit scattered around the room, the Straw Hats spreading out with an easy sort of carelessness - Franky and Nico Robin sitting one of the the couches, Usopp across from them, while Roronoa leans against the wall, watching it all with a detached sense of amusement. The samurai are more tense, sitting clusered together on the other couch, breaking their grim silence every now and then to send nervous glances at Law. Good, the more uncomfortable they are the more likely they are to take this seriously.

"Alright, now for some fucking reason we've actually agreed to take part in this alliance," Law says, steepling his fingers, eyes tracking around the room. He lets his gaze linger on the samurai, Kin'emon swallowing thickly and staring at the table. "But Kaidou's not someone we can fuck around with, so if this is going to work I need to know everything. That means any little secrets - debts, blackmail, old enemies, I don't care what, _anything_ that might spring out of the woodwork and make a mess, we need to know now so we can plan around it. Otherwise we might as well slit our own throats now and save Kaidou the trouble." 

For a long moment there's silence. The Straw Hats trade glances, looking more amused than anything. Well, most of them. Usopp looks anxious, but then Usopp always looks anxious. Law gauges their expressions, but its the samurai he's really watching. 

They shift restlessly, sharing heavy looks, and after a moment Kin'emon sighs and gives in, shoulders slumping. "There... is something else. A complication. I swear, we were going to tell you when we got to Wano. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi said if would be better if you saw it for yourselves, more believable I mean, but... You're right, it's something you all need to know."

Then Kin'emon lays out the whole sorry story. Oden's travels with Whitebeard and Roger, his intentions to open Wano's borders, Orochi's betrayal, all of it. "I know it sounds unbelievable." Kin'emon says, hands clenched in his lap. "But you must believe us. By some magic of Toki-sama's, we were sent forwards twenty years in the future. After Oden-sama's death, Kaidou and Orochi invaded Kuri. Toki-sama saw no other way. Without her help, we would surely all have died. Please forgive us for not telling you!" Kin'emon says, dropping into a bow. "We were worried you would not agree to the alliance, that you wouldn't believe our tale!"

"Time travel, huh." Franky says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well. It's not the strangest thing I've heard of."

Roronoa snorts, but doesn't say anything, and Usopp is looking back and forth between the samurai with a new gleam in his eye. None on of them seem terribly surprised though, but then they wouldn't be. The New World is a strange place. On the grand scale of things, this is just par for the course. 

"Still." Nico Robin says. "To think that the Kozuki family were the creators of the poneglyphs. It's a shame Momonosuke doesn't know how to read them."

Law makes a low noise, scrubbing a hand over his face. "This changes the whole situation." He says sharply, looking at the samurai. "If it's really been twenty years, then Kaidou will be deeply entrenched in Wano - he'll have had plenty of time to spread his influence, establish his forces. If the take over were recent, hell even a couple of years ago, you'd have allies. There'd still be resentment in the population, loyalists remaining. After twenty years... this will be difficult. We won't be able to rely on the people of Wano taking our side. Any allies you once had are probably either dead or have given up fighting, and most of the information you have is probably useless. We'll be flying in completely blind."

"We know, but it is a risk we will have to take." Raizou says gravely. "We saw Wano only briefly before we were forced to flee, but the country's changed drastically. Kaidou has set up factories across the land, and he uses the people of Wano as slave labor. Orochi doesn't care. Beneath his reign the people of Wano starve, and any who speak out against him are executed. If given the chance to throw off their yolk... I believe the people of Wano will rise to to occasion."

"And if they don't?" Nico Robin asks, speaking up for the first time in the conversation. She sends the samurai a mild look, grim all the same. "Twenty years is a long time. An entire new generation has grown up under the Kaidou and Orochi's rule - they don't know any other life. That sort of complacency can be hard to break, and if their Government tells them we're the enemy... we could well find ourselves fighting not just Kaidou but the entire country."

"They will rise up." Kin'emon says, a desperate sort of certainty hardening his voice. "They have to. I'll do whatever it takes to end Kaidou's reign of terror and avenge Oden-sama, even if it means dragging Wano to revolution kicking and screaming."

Law doesn't share faith, but he keeps his tongue, letting the subject drop with a shake of his head. "Regardless, this is a development we're going to need to take into account. Bepo, fetch me some of the cartography parchment." Bepo nods, quickly trotting off, and Law turns back to the samurai. "If we want even a chance of making this work, I'm going to need everything you can remember about Orochi and Kaidou's forces - allies, enemies, bases of operations. Anything you can think of."

Kin'emon and the samurai share a short look, nodding. "We'll do the best we can."

"And you lot?" Law asks, turning to stare at the Straw Hats with a sharp look. "Do you have any devastating secrets to reveal? No dirty laundry that will leap out of the closet and kill us all?"

"Well." Usopp says, leaning forward with a glint in his eye. "It might surprise you all to learn, but I too have a dark family secret-"

He doesn't get much further than that, cut off with a yelp as Franky rolls his eyes and elbows him in the side. "Nah." Franky says, ignoring Usopp's betrayed look. "Nothing that'll impact the stuff in Wano at least."

"God fucking bless." Law replies flatly. He always knew Wano was going to be a shitshow, but this is even worse than he imagined. It'll take a miracle for them to actually pull this off. Law scrubs his hands over his face, resisting the urge to just vent the samurai out the airlock and wash his hands of Wano entirely. This is what he gets for signing on with Straw Hat, he supposes. Maybe it's some sort karmic fucking justice coming back to bite him, the universe paying him back for everything he's gotten away with recently. 

The door creaks open, Bepo returning with the parchment, and Law rises, accepting the supplies from Bepo and settling at the table across from the samurai. "Alright." He says, grabbing his notebook. "Let's get started."

* * *

It takes them four hours just to iron out the basics, and at the end of it Law has an annotated map of Wano, towns and ports and every fucking supply drop that might be even the vaguest bit relevant all marked out, along with lists upon lists of all the key players in Wano - Orochi's supporters, local nobility, yakuza leaders, bandit camps. Anyone and everyone they might be forced to contend with. He'll be lucky if even a tenth of the information isn't hideously out of date, but even that's better than nothing

Most of the others have wandered away, leaving one by one as the hours dragged on, and now only Law, Roronoa, and Kin'emon remain. After another hour, Kin'emon excuses himself too, leaving Law to review the information, and Law slumps back in his seat with a sigh, rubbing at his temples as he looks over the mess of papers. Roronoa's eye creeps open, gaze fixing on Law idly. Law suspects the only reason he's still in the room is because he didn't care enough to go find another place to nap.

"I'm starting to see why Luffy wanted to team up with you." Roronoa says, watching Law from where he's sprawled carelessly over one of the couches. 

"And?" Law asks sharply, forcing himself not to tense. He hadn't thought Straw Hat had told his crew about his propo- _Offer_. If Roronoa is insinuating something- 

Roronoa hums, watching Law with an idle sort of indifference. He nods at the notes scattered over the table - hours of painstaking research, no doubt most of it completely useless. "Yeah. You're dumb enough to buy into his crazy schemes, but smart enough to actually find a way to make them work"

"You realize we're probably all going to die." Law replies flatly. This plan is full of more holes than Soul King fucking Brook. Even with what Kin'emon and the other samurai had been able to tell them, they're woefully unprepared. Bad enough they're fighting one of the Four Emperors, let alone in enemy territory, outnumbered and flying almost completely fucking blind. It's a catastrophe just waiting to happen.

"Mm." Roronoa shrugs, his eye slipping shut once more. "Maybe. But if it does... Well, I don't intend to go down without a fight."

Law stares at him for a moment, fighting down the urge to stick a scalpel in him. How is it that even the milder Straw Hats are utterly infuriating? Law lets out a frustrated breath, turning away from Roronoa, and rises to go get some coffee. It's going to be a long night. 

* * *

The rest of the journey passes in a haze. 

Most of his time is spent conferring with the samurai, compiling information and trying to string together some sort of plan. They're going to need to do recon, establish a foothold, and put feelers out for the samurai's old allies - and all while keeping under the radar in a country known for its isolationism and distrust of foreigners. Law and the Straw Hats spend hours pouring over the plans, but even with the full breadth of the samurai's knowledge as their disposal their knowledge of the situation in Wano is painfully lacking. And until they get to Wano, there's nothing they can really do about it. 

This exactly the sort of operation he hates - hasty, full of holes, with little chance of success and no contingencies in place. Law prefers a more cautious approach, and if given his way he'd wouldn't have even looked in Kaidou's direction without months of careful research. His plan with Doflamingo had been carefully calibrated, tailored to keep Kaidou's wrath focused solely on Doflamingo and even then they'd seen how well that turned out. 

In between the long hours of research, Law paces the ship restlessly, not quite sure what to do with himself. There's only so many times he can read through the notes he's written up on Wano without wanting to tear his own hair our, and past a certain point Law has to accept that there's nothing to do but wait. Law has never been good at this sort of patience. He can play the long game as well as anyone, but this is different sort of restlessness - sharp and impotent, all the more frustrating for the magnitude of the task ahead. There's so much that needs to be done, so little time to do it, and yet for now they can do nothing but wait. 

The crew have begun their own preparations, the engineering crew teaming up with Franky and Usopp to prepare for the mission. If Kaidou's territory is anywhere near as well guarded as the other Emperors, he'll have radar slugs patrolling every square inch of ocean for leagues in every direction. Their first challenge is finding a way to get through it without setting off the alarm. 

Clione and his team are easy enough to find. Law simply follows the sound of raised voices, finally finding the engineering crew gathered around an open maintenance shaft. Clione himself is nowhere to be seen, but Franky and White are standing by the open hatch, peering in, while Emon screws another hatch cover back into place a few meters down the hall. 

"Hand me the other wrench, the number six-" Clione's voice floats out of the open hatch, a gloved hand appearing at it's edge, fingertips just reaching the opening. Franky obliges him, shuffling through the toolbox until he finds a small wrench, passing it down. There's a muffled grunt from within the shaft and a yelp that sound surprisingly like Usopp. 

"Better not be breaking anything." Law says dryly, and watches as they all scramble to turn around. Franky looks over, greets him with a nod and a smile, sitting back, and a moment later Clione's head pops up, a smear of grease on his face.

"Break something?" Clione scowls, tone rank with outrage. "You think I'd break something? Who do you think I am?"

"Nah," Franky says with an easy grin, waving his hand. "Your guys were just showing us the pressurization systems. Ain't many ships that can handle being this deep, not without a Yarukiman coating."

"Damn right." Clione says, one hand reaching up to catch the edge of the shaft as he hauls himself up, earning a pained noise from Usopp, who quickly wriggles his way out too once Clione is clear. "The _Polar Tang_ is one of a kind."

Coming from Franky, who almost single-handedly built the _Thousand Sunny_ , one of the finest - and, admittedly most eccentric - ships on the Grand Line, it's no small compliment. When Law and the Heart Pirates had first acquired the _Polar Tang_ she'd been little more than a rusting heap of scrap, badly damaged and left to rot. In those early days, Clione had been the one who'd welded her back together, building her back up from nothing. Her pressurization systems are a device of his own invention, and without Clione the _Polar Tang_ wouldn't be half the ship she is today. 

It makes him more than a little prickly about her, and by far the best way to ease yourself into Clione's good graces is through admiration of his ship. Franky and Usopp seem to have hit the nail right on the head, but then that's no surprise. No doubt they are much the same about the _Thousand Sunny_. 

"It's a shame we didn't think to bring along any dials from the _Sunny_." Usopp says, popping his hat back on his head. It's a wide thing, with a floppy thing that threatens to fall right over his face, but he just shoves it back, adjusting it with ease of long practice. "Most of the pressure systems on the _Sunny_ are based on them. Would have been interesting to see what you'd make of them."

"Pass me a couple when we get to Wano." Clione says, stretching his arms as he rolls out all the aches and kinks that come from being contorted in the maintenance shafts. "If they're as versatile as you say, I might have to find a place to get some. No doubt Penguin and Sachi would go wild over a few of them, probably blow a hole in the hull while they're at it. Anyway," He says turning to Law. "What can I do for you captain?"

"Wanted to make sure everything was on track with the shuttle modifications." Law says. They'll be keeping the _Polar Tang_ submerged when they dock in Wano, wary of prying eyes, which means that any travel to and from the ship will have to be done using the shuttle pod. "Kin'emon says Wano uses a slightly different species of denden-mushi. We need to make sure the _Tang's_ jammers are up to the task."

Clione makes a thoughtful noise, nodding. "The work on the shuttle's mostly done. As for the jammers - we've got a couple of ideas, been tinkering with it. Should have it done by the time we arrive if all goes well."

"Keep me informed." Law says. "I'd rather we idle off the coast for an extra day than risk being picked up by their scanners."

"Aye, aye." Clione says, the rest of the engineering crew bobbing their heads. Franky grins, throwing an arm over Clione's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, we'll have it all spick and span in no time." Franky says, smile growing salacious. "It's not everyday you get to see the inner workings of such a lovely lady. It's been a _real_ pleasure."

How Franky manages to make a discussion about engineering sound quite so lewd, Law doesn't know, but Franky's grin is positively indecent. Law rolls his eyes, but leaves them to it. Odd or not, Franky and Clione are among some of the best mechanics to come out of the Grand Line. The _Polar Tang_ is in good hands, and neither Clione nor Law has the patience to deal with Law hovering over the engineering crew, not when they're more than capable of accomplishing the modifications without supervision.

Law finds himself pacing the halls, somewhat at a loss for what to do with himself. There are no pressing issues that demand his attention, the preparations for Wano are as advanced as they can be before they actually make land, and this deep there are little outside distractions to fill the time. He's restless, and he's not entirely certain whether to attribute it to the impending doom awaiting them in Wano, the whole... mess with Straw Hat, or the usual unease that comes from heading back into a deep dive after spending so long on the surface. 

Law checks in with the bridge, then passes by the library, spending a couple of hours reading through the latest medical journals. Law had managed to get his hand on a handful of new articles while he was on Punk Hazard, but most of the new publications had slipped him by - hardly surprising, Caesar had little interest in medicine beyond its use in creating monstrosities and keeping up with the newest publications had hardly been Law's priority. Merlow had kept up the collection in his absence, and now the new volumes sit neatly sorted in the library, joining the tidy ranks of the _North Blue Journal of Medicine_ and the _Karakuri Journal of Biomedicine._

He blinks awake in the- Afternoon? Evening? Law isn't really sure, but it must still be sometime during alpha shift, because Nico Robin is sitting at the table across the room, her notes spread out on the table around her. Law sits up, catching his book as it threatens to slip between his loose fingers. He must have fallen asleep while reading. 

"Sleep well?" Nico Robin asks, sending Law an amused look. It's more fond than he would like, and Law resigns himself to the fact that his acquaintance with the Straw Hats seems to be quickly getting out of hand. The Straw Hats were never supposed to be more than a means to and end, and yet here Law is, sailing off to certain death for no reason save to keep a promise. 

Law sits up, jamming his hat back on his head where it'd threatened to slip. "Mm. What time is it?"

"It's just after eight." Nico Robin says, glancing up from her notes, and Law sighs. He pushes himself upright, swinging his legs down off the couch a grumbling yawn. He glances over her notes, making a low noise when he spots the carefully inscribed glyphs crowding each page. A poneglyph translation - he'd heard she was capable of it, but seeing it is something else. Just attempting to translate one had been enough to sentence every man, woman and child on Ohara to death. Actually knowing how to read them... Well that had set a target on Nico Robin's back that has yet to fade, even almost twenty years later.

"Makes you wonder just what the World Government is trying to hide, doesn't it?" Law says, casting a cynical eye over the drawings. "Why they'd go to all that effort." 

"I suppose they'd say that some knowledge is better left buried." Nico Robin says, carefully scrawling another glyph into her book. She writes not in ink but in pencil, the pencil scarred and short, worn from repeated sharpening's until little under half its original length remained. 

"And yet here you are, translating it anyway." Law notes dryly. 

"I never said I agreed." Nico Robin says, glancing up. Her smile is a wry thing, sharp edged. "Eight hundred years ago, the Kozuki clan thought this information important enough to immortalize and scatter across the world. Since then the World Government has tried tirelessly to destroy it. Sometimes the more someone tries to hide something, the more important it is to reveal the truth. And anyway, are you saying you wouldn't if you were in my place?" 

Law makes an amused noise, inclining his head. She's got him there. "Guess neither of us is a model citizen."

"However will we cope?" Nico Robin replies, lip quirking. She turns the page of her notebook, carefully jotting down another line of translation, and Law finds himself watching her. Despite her turbulent history, Nico Robin is by far the most collected of the Straw Hats, quiet and even-tempered. It's sometimes easy to forget that she was one of CP-9s best agents, wracking up an enormous bounty of her own even before joining up with the Straw Hats. 

And yet looking at her now, Law can't help but remember what Straw Hat said back in the kitchen of the Bartholomew's ship. _When CP-9 took her she just went with them, didn't even try to fight. She was going to let them kill her._

Maybe Law shouldn't be surprised. He and Nico Robin are more similar than he'd like to admit. Things like Ohara, like Flevance, they leave scars that can't be healed. From the moment she was old enough to read, the World Government has done everything in its power to wipe her from the face of the earth, right up until the moment they recruited her. And even then they still tried to kill her in the end. He'd be surprised if she didn't have some issues. Law sure as hell does. 

"Penny for your thoughts?" Nico Robin asks, glancing up from her notes. She seems unperturbed at having caught him staring, more amused than anything. He doesn't think he's ever met anyone so unflappable.

"I suppose I'm curious." Law says, leaning back on the couch. The story of what happened at Enies Lobby is legend, the sheer audacity of the Straw Hats enough to make them a household name across the Blues and blacklist them forever in the eyes of the World Government. 

That Straw Hat had offered her a place on his crew isn't what surprises him. It's the fact she'd agreed. Nico Robin had been an enemy agent, a woman notorious for her ruthlessness, and yet at the end of the day she'd turned around and accepted the Straw Hat's offer, joining a pirate crew after a lifetime of refusing to do just that. "You were part of CP-9. The Straw Hats were your mission, and yet..."

"You want to know why I agreed to join them." Nico Robin surmises. Law inclines his head, and Nico Robin hums gently, leaning back in her chair. "It wasn't just a single thing. More... a collection of motives. I suppose the main reason was that I was tired. I spent my whole life running, never able to stop, never able to slow down, because the moment I did would be the moment it all finally caught up with me. And I was... tired. Tired of running. Tired of being alone. When Luffy offered me a place at his side, I wasn't strong enough to refuse."

"That can't have just been it." Law says, but Nico Robin just smiles, raising one shoulder in a gentle shrug.

"Luffy trusted me." She says. "He saw something in me that nobody else thought even existed, that _I_ didn't think still existed. There was nothing left for me, nothing left of me worth saving, and yet Luffy did anyway. It was like that for a lot of us I think. We didn't have a place in the world, not until Luffy made one for us. He gave us a home, something to live for."

"Sounds like stockholm syndrome." Law says dryly, and Nico Robin actually laughs. Her smile a shining thing, so distant from the face of the cold, angry woman he'd seen on the wanted posters all those years ago. 

"People think Luffy is naïve." Nico Robin says, shaking her head wryly. "Because he cares so much. He's not. He just see's no reason to be cruel. He'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt, even if it ends up hurting him, than be the sort of man who would slam a door in someone's face just because he's scared of the possibility what might happen."

"Thinking like that is what gets people killed." Law says, but he knows it's not true. Nico Robin won't allow it to be true. Straw Hat might be the sort of fool to trust others out of hand, but the reason he can be so trusting is because of his crew. Each and every one of them would die for him, kill for him, and anyone who attempts to abuse Straw Hat's trust doesn't survive long enough to make a second attempt. It's a dangerous brand of loyalty, one that will get them all killed someday.

"We'll see." Nico Robin says. Her smile is a small thing, quiet, but there's a steel in her gaze, daring the world to even try. 

Law hums thoughtfully, leaning back. It hadn't been the answers he was looking for, but then Law's not even sure he knows what he'd been looking for. He keeps waiting for there to be some last clue, some final piece of information that will click into place and make it all make sense. All this time, and Law understands Straw Hat no better than he did at the beginning. Straw Hat is as Straw Hat has always been - a whirlwind of utter confusion and disaster, and the rest of his crew is little better. 

Law shakes himself, rising from the couch, giving her a polite nod as he crosses the room. 

"Trafalgar-san." Nico Robin says just as he reaches the door, and Law pauses, glancing back at her. "I wouldn't worry so much. It doesn't get easier, but it does get better."

Law raises a brow. "I'll keep that in mind." He says dryly, and then shuts the door behind him, glad to leave Nico Robin and her damn riddles behind it.

* * *

Twelve hours, maybe less, until they're in Wano's waters. It's enough to make everyone a little jittery, eager for things to finally commence but with still too many damn hours to wait.

"We'll land in Kuri." Kin'emon says, pointing down at the map. "That was the seat of Oden-sama's power, back before his death. It's where we're likely to find the most allies. Raizou, Kanjuro and I lived there, we know the land. We'll be able to hide out there while we get a grip on the situation."

"We need to be careful about this." Law says, fingers tapping on Kikoku's hilt. _One two three, one two three_. Impatient. They're all impatient now, if only for the chance to do something other than sit in the observation deck, going over plans and information they've already exhausted again and again. "Kaidou is deeply entrenched in Wano, and has the support of the local government to boot. The moment they get word that we're is moving against them the whole country will be mobilized against us. Our only chance is to take him off guard - a quick, concerted strike against him and his men, before they can realize we're there. And for that, we need information."

"There are still people we can trust in Wano." Kin'emon says, looking up. "It's just a matter of finding them. But it will take time."

"It'll all be for nothing if Straw Hat can't beat Kaidou." Law says, scowling at the map. As much as he loathes to admit it, Straw Hat is the hinge on which this entire plan revolves. Law is strong, but he has no illusions about his chances of success if he ends up pitted against Kaidou. He barely had a chance with Doflamingo, and even Doflamingo looks tame next to Kaidou. "If word gets out that we're there before he arrives, if he doesn't make it-"

"He'll make it." Roronoa says flatly, speaking up for the first time all meeting. All eyes turn to him, but Roronoa says nothing more, crossing his arms and leaning back silently against the wall, all three swords hanging openly from his hip. Law doesn't think he's ever seen him without them. 

Franky nods, his grin a blinding thing. "Yeah. Luffy always gets there in the end. Even if not quite in the way you expect."

"Regardless." Law says. "It'll be at least two weeks before he arrives, maybe more if things with Big Mom hit the fan. Secrecy is paramount. We're only going to get one shot at this. Even assuming aid from the people of Wano, we're vastly outnumbered. If Kaidou learns about our plans beforehand, he and Orochi will round us up. It doesn't matter how well we can blend in if they start a nation-wide manhunt."

Franky chuckles, rolling his shoulders with a mechanical whir. "Ha, it's been a while since we've had to go properly undercover. I'll be a blast."

The thought of the Straw Hats trying to do anything in secrecy sort of makes Law want to put his face in his hands and scream, but for the moment they're at least pretending to play along, and that's really the best Law can hope for. The Straw Hats have never met a single plan they didn't immediately want to tear to shreds, but Law holds out a desperate hope that this time things might actually work out according to plan. If he can get the rest of the Straw Hats on board it might be enough, maybe, _just maybe_ , to get their loose-canon of a captain to play along. 

Who the fuck is he kidding. This is going to be a disaster.

* * *

Law lies awake that night, watching the shifting darkness outside his window as they slowly begin their ascent.

Sometimes in the darkness you can catch sight of brief flashes of light in the distance - biolumuinescence, sparks of liquid energy set alight not by the sun but by the subtle interactions of biology and chemistry. Long, trailing lines of flickering lights that pulse, slow and hypnotic, as beautiful as they are eerie, designed for the sole purpose of luring in prey.

Monsters, all of them, but so fragile. Take them to the surface and they disintegrate from the change in pressure, leaving nothing but so much bleeding flesh, teeth still sharp and prickling. 

Law is sleepless, mind treading familiar paths again and again, and perhaps that's why he finds himself thinking of Straw Hat. He's occupied Law's mind far too much of late, tumbling between one jumbled mess of thoughts and the next. Usually, the longer you know someone the more they start to make sense, familiarity breeding ease of understanding. With Straw Hat it only seems to breed more confusion. 

And still Law can't help think of that night on the balcony, how the warm light of the bonfire seemed to make Straw Hat's eyes glint, just for a second, as he leaned in. Can't help but consider the soft possibility therein, the gentle _what if_. 

It's a ridiculous thought, completely abstracted from the realm of possibility, and yet...

He'd been warm, Law remembers. His lips had tasted of wine, soft where they touched. Beautiful, in his own way, but then Straw Hat has always been beautiful, even when pale and bloody and spread open on Law's operating table. Entrancing in the way only wild things can be, and all the more dangerous for it.

_"Hey, Torao-" Straw Hat murmured, his breath warm against Law's skin, eyes slipping shut as he leaned in that last inch-_

Law scrubs his hands over his face roughly, letting out a harsh breath, and rolls over in bed, firmly putting the thought from his mind. 

Wano, Law thinks. Once this thing in Wano is done it will all be over. The Heart Pirates and Straw Hats will go their separate ways and all of this will be nothing more than another strange memory.


	10. human nature

The air still smells of ash, even twenty years later.

Even in its ruin, Oden Castle has a quiet sort of dignity to it. The high stone foundations standing tall and proud even as the its walls lie collapsed in on themselves, little remaining of the castle itself but a blackened skeleton and scattered roof-tiles, withered by the heat of the flames and left to rot by the slow weathering of the elements.

Law can almost imagine it in flames, the way the fire would have crept up the inner walls, paper screens blackening and burning even as the flames curled higher around the beams, licking up the walls and rising floor after floor. He's seen enough buildings burn to know that this one would have taken hours. The fires would have blazed all night, embers still hot and glowing when the sun rose the next morning. 

There are bones in the ashes, small scattered fragments left forgotten amongst the ruins. Did they belong to a noble lord, Law wonders, or simply a stable hand? Not that it makes any difference. In death, everyone is the same. Just so much rotting meat and oxidizing bone.

Some parts of the castle survived better than others, stables and storage rooms less touched by the flames, and it's there that Kin'emon leads them. Even those are desolate, weathered and sagging beneath the weight of twenty years of neglect, with holes in the roof and plants creeping up the walls, but at least they still have roofs, which is more than can be said for the rest of Oden Castle. 

"Kaidou has us vastly outnumbered. He knows the territory, has had years to build up his forces and set up his factories. Our only advantage is surprise, and we need to use that." Law says, steepling his fingers as he looks over the maps. "Our best chance is a single concerted attack, wiping out Kaidou, Orochi, and their commanders before they have the chance to mobilize against us. There's a festival in three weeks-"

"The Fire Festival." Kin'emon explains, rubbing his hands together to try and ward off the chill. They don't dare light a fire, not when the light might be spotted from Bakura Town, so for the moment all of them are forced to weather the cold bite of the night air. "It's in honor of the goddess Amaterasu. Three days of festivities, carried out across the whole country."

Law nods sharply, tapping the map. "More importantly, a celebration is held at Onigashima Island. Orochi and all of Kaidou's commanders will travel back for it. They'll all be gathered in one place. If we strike then we could eliminate them all in one fell swoop. That being said, it's the heart of Kaidou's forces - it won't be an easy fight, not when we'll be taking on all of his high command at once. The Minks won't be enough. We'll need allies."

"We've already put out feelers for a few of our old associates." Raizou says with a nod. The room is small with all of them crowded in it, but they make do, perching on old crates and crumbling beams. Most of Law's men are in the other room, clearing rubble to make it more habitable, trusting Law to keep them up to date. 

"In the meantime, I managed to get in touch with some of our people in Kuri." Raizou continues, leaning over the map. "The situation is as we expected. Kaidou has a force of men established in every major town, peacekeepers supposedly, but they're really just thugs there to beat down anyone who tries to speak up against Orochi. As far as I can tell the actual guard seems to be working on a skeleton crew. Most of the garrisons have been abolished and those that are left have been shuffled around, so it's hard to get a grip on their numbers, but it looks like most forces in town belong to private guards rather than to the city watch."

"Privatization of the military isn't unexpected." Nico Robin says, making a thoughtful noise. Law shoots her a glance. Word is she spent two years working with the Revolutionary Army when the Straw Hats all disappeared, serving alongside the Dragon himself. If it's true then this is right up her alley. "They would have wanted to remove any external authority that could serve as a rallying point against them. This way, each noble takes care of their own affairs. So long as they're are happy, their forces won't act, and even if they did they wouldn't be able to do anything against Kaidou's men alone. It locks them all in place, and by keeping them well in pocket Kaidou and Orochi remove any desire to enact change."

"Going after the nobles is a risk." Law says, crossing his arms over his chest, fingers tapping a rough tempo on Kikoku's hilt. "They might be able to supply men and resources, but their use is limited. To make any real difference we'd need to get more than a couple on our side, and that increases the risk exponentially. They have incentive to keep Kaidou and Orochi in power, and if even one of them squeals it's all over."

Kin'emon nods, staring grimly at the maps. He'd had picked up a new one in town, marking it out with the tentative info they've been able to confirm - it's distressingly blank, only a handful of careful annotations marring the page. "A public revolt would be more effective. The people of Wano are no friends of Kaidou and Orochi, but the problem is the lack of resources. Only government officials and noble households are allowed bear weapons, and the vast majority of the weapons made at the factories are shipped directly out of the country. Food is another issue. Outside the major cities, people barely have enough food to make it through the day, let enough to support any gathering forces."

"Neither of those is going to be easy to get." Law says, resisting the urge to scrub his hands over his face. "All supply lines are kept under a stranglehold, funneled directly into the major cities. The wealth keeps the nobles happy, and it keeps the rest of the population weakened. Any rebel group automatically has to target the supply lines, and Kaidou's men know that. Any sort of big movement against their farms or factories will draw a lot of suspicion. I doubt we'll have much trouble lifting enough to keep us fed, but when the Minks arrive it could become an issue, nevermind once we start actually mustering allies."

"So we need more information about the supply lines." Kin'emon says. "Paradise Farm is kept closely guarded, with shipments taken out daily, but the perimeter is large. We should be able to slip in and have a look without anyone noticing."

"We need to look into the number of Kaidou's forces in each town and who's leading them. If anyone's likely to give us trouble, it's them." Law says, glancing over the map. "It's a lot of ground to cover, but we need to know what sort of fighting power Kaidou and Orochi have at their disposal."

"It might be worth looking into the locations of any prisons." Nico Robin suggests with a considering hum. "If Orochi's been locking up anyone who disagrees with him, then that might be a good place to find allies."

That earns an agreeable murmur from the gathering, Kin'emon giving Nico Robin a thoughtful look before nodding. Law sighs, leaning forward, and adds another note to the already gargantuan list of things they need to look into. 

"And on top of all that we need a way to get the message out covertly, letting the people know what's coming. And all of this without letting Kaidou catch on." Law says wearily. A public, _covert_ , call to arms, and isn't that a fucking oxymoron. Law drags his fingers through his hair, casting a grim eye over the list of things they need to do. All together its a monumental task, nigh impossible, and yet they're going to have to find a way to pull it off. Failure is not an option. 

"Let me work on that." Kin'emon says, straightening. "The people of Wano have a long memory, and our allies were once widespread. We'll find a way."

"Good. For now we need to work on gathering more info." Law says, giving him a short nod before looking over the rest of their gathered allies. He meets their gazes one by one, expression sharp. "This isn't going to be easy, and the longer we draw this out, the worse the odds become. We have three weeks to gather information and allies, then we strike. There is no second chance here - if there's a fuck up, if someone's exposed, it's over. So for fucks sake, don't get caught. And if you do... Don't leave any witnesses."

"Well." Roronoa says, in the grim silence that follows. "That doesn't sound complicated at all."

* * *

Law takes a seat on the edge of the ramparts, pulling his lighter from his pocket, and ignites the end of his cigarette with a slow flick, breathing deeply as the first tongues of flame give way to a curling heat that singes the end of the cigarette. He can still hear the murmur of conversation from inside, the Straw Hats and samurai discussing the details of the plan once more. Or maybe they're just shooting the shit, who knows. 

"Hope you don't mind." Law says, shooting a wayward glance at the graves behind him. They're roughshod things, little more than weathered poles driven into the earth, and he wonders what it says about the world that a pirate like Whitebeard got a more proper burial than a lord in his own country. Law has never been one to believe in talking to graves, has never had any graves to talk to, but the people of Wano are a superstitious lot so he reckons it's better to be safe than sorry.

Below, the lights of Bakura Town flicker, small and distant, sprawling around the base of the hill in in clusters and long curving lines, a bastion in the dark void of the night. In the dark Bakura Town could be any other town, Wano any other country. Funny, to think that for some people Bakura Town is the only world they have ever known. Law breaths out a long column of smoke and wonders what it must be like living your whole life in one place, never straying beyond the boundaries of the known, the familiar. The thought is faintly suffocating. 

Law rarely bothers indulging in _what ifs_ , thoughts like that take too much and give back too little, but he thinks that even without Flevance he would have found himself straying to the wrong side of the law eventually. He's never been one for following the rules, and he imagines he would have eventually butted heads with the World Government over one thing or another.

He takes another long drag, enjoying the slow coil of smoke through his lungs, the warm flush of the nicotine as it hits his bloodstream, and leans back. It's another habit he should give up, but then Law had never seen the point before. It was never going to be lung cancer that killed him. Then again, everything is up in the air now. For all he knows it might actually end up being his cigarettes that make him kick the bucket, and isn't that a thought?

There's a slow groan as a door slides open across the courtyard. The sliding door has lost most of it's paper, and it shakes when it moves, making it's best effort to jump from its tracks entirely as Bepo steps out. Law wonders why he even bothered with the door, it's not like there's not a perfectly good hole in the wall right next to it. 

"This is madness." Law says, not looking away from the town below. And it is. Their plan might sound good on paper, but putting it into action is a very different thing. There are too many variables, too many important links that rely far too much on chance, and they still don't have a plan for what to do when it all goes to hell. Because it will. Law can feel it in his fucking bones.

"Not too late to run away." Bepo says, stepping up beside him. Kin'emon or one of the others has found him a yukata, the dark fabric a little scruffy and patched up - not that Bepo will be going out undercover anyway. Minks are hardly inconspicuous. 

Law snorts and taps his cigarette, raining down a little cloud of ash. The spirits of Oden Castle wont mind, there's already more than enough ash to go around. Law sighs, taking a drag of cigarette and shooting Bepo a sideways look. 

"You know that's not an option." Law says, blowing out a long stream of smoke. It's true, they could walk, but what would be the consequence? This plan of theirs hangs by a thread. If the Heart Pirates leave, it'll fall apart. Oh, Kin'emon and the Straw Hats will try and hold it together, but it won't work. Kaidou would crush them, and when he's done with them he'd come after the Heart Pirates.

Leaving is not an option, and they both know it, but Bepo is good like that. He presents all the possibilities, lays out all the cards, even if the result is only cementing Law's decision on the path he's already chosen. Sometimes it takes someone arguing against you to see where you truly stand.

"Could think of it as a holiday." Bepo says, sitting down on the wall next to him. "We've got a while till Straw Hat gets here, right? Plenty of time to travel around, enjoy the scenery, try some new foods."

"All the while gathering intel to help overthrow the government?" Law says dryly, and Bepo just shrugs. Law leans back, rolling his cigarette between his fingers. "We'll be lucky if we don't get caught and executed."

"Ah." Bepo says sheepishly, fiddling with his claws. "Yeah, I suppose there is that."

Law chuckles, snubbing out his cigarette and rises, turning back towards the door. "Come on. I'm hungry. Let's hope the Straw Hat's have left something to eat."

* * *

Bakura Town is a beautiful place, or at least the heart of it is. All graceful, clean streets and bustling shops, men and women moving through the street in beautifully embroidered yukatas, smiles on their faces as they listen to the chime of music in the air and the low murmur of vendors haggling on every street corner.

Beyond the city walls it's a very different story, elegant townhouses abruptly giving way to ramshackle huts and streets far too empty for the amount of eyes that watch from every window. The people of Okobore Town speak in hushed voices, scared to draw attention to themselves, walking with a hunch to their shoulders that reminds Law all too intimately of those long weeks after Flevance, shoulders curled in on themselves as if to fill the aching hollow in their belly. 

Almost a week they've been in Wano now, and Law has seen enough of the country to feel he knows it to it's very bones. Oh, the customs may escape him, but once you banish all the window dressing people are just people, and the people of Wano are proud, tenacious, and ultimately broken, cracked and smothered beneath the weight of twenty years of oppression. They've given in to it, and now they fight for scraps under the boot of a foreign invader, all the while pretending they still stand tall. 

It's almost funny. Some of the greatest atrocities he's seen committed have been at the behest of the World Government, the very force that swears it upholds peace and justice across the Blues, and yet even here, in a land far beyond the reach and jurisdiction of the World Government, the same corruption and cruel injustice still reigns. It doesn't matter where you are, the moment people gain a form of legitimate power that can't be opposed they can't seem to help themselves. Maybe it's just human nature.

Law doesn't generally consider himself an anarchist, he's too indifferent for that, but it's at times like these that he can't help but wonder if the Revolutionary Army doesn't have the right idea. 

Some of Kin'emon's people have finally gotten back to them and now the alliance is scattered throughout Wano - the Straw Hats sinking their claws into the Flower Capital while the rest of them work their way through the outer regions. Franky and Usopp are chasing up information about the blueprints to Kaidou's mansion on Onigashima while Nico Robin works on easing her way into Orochi's palace as a geisha. Law and his men are canvasing Kibi and Udon, chasing down leads supplies chains and working on getting an estimate for Kaidou's forces, with Kin'emon and the rest of the samurai taking care of the recruitment angle, reaching out to old contacts as they scout out Ringo and Hakumai. 

The first of the Minks have arrived, Inuarashi and Momonosuke arriving with an advance guard to establish a foothold on the island, setting up hidden base in an isolated harbor on Kuri's western coast. Mononosuke will make his way to Oden Castle eventually, rejoining with his retainers in preparation for the rebellion, but for the moment he remains in Inuarashi's care, helping set up the harbor to accommodate the rest of the Mink ships.

Law, for his part, has been tasked with consolidating the reports from his men and confirming them, travelling to the different forts and magistrate offices that they locate and making copies of their records. Which seems to mostly involve a lot of breaking into places in the middle of the night, but then it wasn't as if Law was likely to be sleeping anyway. And it's not as if Law can complain he isn't suited to the task. If things go wrong he has the best chance of slipping away, what with his _shambles_. 

Law ducks his head, angling his wide straw hat a little lower over his eyes in a rough approximation of a bow as a group of Kaidou's men pass him in the street, black uniforms stark amongst the bright yukatas of the townsfolk. He's not the only one. Even the affluent citizens of Bakura Town give Kaidou's men a wide berth, keeping a polite distance and lowering their gazes as they pass. 

The men continue down the street, not sparing Law a glance, and Law moves on, winding through the crowd until he finds the right tea house. He slips in quietly, unstrapping his hat, and meets the waitress's greeting with a short nod, taking a seat at one of the tables near the window, glad that the sleeves of his yukata are long enough to hide his tattoos. Kikoku draws enough eyes without people realizing Law is a criminal too. 

The day's paper is open on a nearby table and Law snags it as he takes his seat, flipping back through it idly. For all that Wano seems content to live in complete isolation, copies of the Gull News still seem to slip through. He stills when he see's the front page, torn between incredulity and amusement, and looks up when a shadow crosses his table. Roronoa takes the seat opposite him without a word, as silent and taciturn as ever. 

"Seems Straw Hat got Black Leg back after all." Law says, tapping the front page. 

"Tch." Roronoa spares the paper only the briefest of glances before settling back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "As if that bastard would ever leave."

The waitress comes back, ducking her head politely as she takes their order. 

"Sake." Roronoa says, barely giving her a second look, and Law sighs, ordering himself a pot of tea and sliding the poor wench a few coins to cover their tab. She bows again, quickly scurrying off, leaving Law once more faced with Roronoa. Law must admit, of all the Straw Hats Roronoa is the one who's slipped into his disguise with the most ease, to all appearances every inch the disreputable ronin. People step out of his way in the street, not meeting his eyes as he passes, and Law's not certain whether to attribute the effect to his swords, his scars, his constant scowl, or some combination of the three. 

"Wano's a weird place." Roronoa says, once the waitress finally brings their drinks. He knocks the first cup of sake back like it's nothing, already reaching to pour himself a second. "But at least the booze is good."

"The coffee isn't." Law says shortly, and tries not to let his ire shine through too much. Of all the difficulties he'd expected in Wano, a lack of caffeine wasn't one of them. Wano favors teas, and what little coffee is available is highly regulated as an import good, limited to noble manner-houses and Kaidou's more well furnished bases. And as annoying as the withdrawls are, Law's not quite desperate enough to risk the whole operation just for the sake of stealing a cup of coffee. 

"You're friends are settling in well at the capital." Law says, pouring himself a cup of tea. "From what I hear, their work is going well. O-Robi-san apparently has all the makings of a star geisha."

"She would." Roronoa snorts. "O-Robi's old hat at this sort of thing."

"Things have been progressing as expected." Law says, taking a sip of his tea. It's hot enough to scald his tongue, the flavor light and fragrant. Law desperately wishes it was something stronger. "My team has been enjoying their vacation. They scenery isn't much different up north, but they've met a couple of interesting people. Been catching up with old friends."

_Ikkaku's team reached Kibi and successfully made contact with Kin'emon's people. Kaidou's stranglehold is just as tight up there._

"Anything to write home about?" Roronoa asks idly, leaning back in his seat. 

Law shrugs, inclining his head. "You know how it is. They get homesick, been sending back letters almost every day. Think they've found a couple of nice restaurants - good value apparently. Still, a lot of flies buzzing around. The old man's had me counting ant nests, I'm getting a good idea of how much work it'll take to clean them out. It's going to be a nasty job. My cousin's still working on the survey in the southern garden, we'll see how it goes."

_There's a couple of supply routes we could hit without too much suspicion, but they're guarded. We've accounted for most of Kaidou's bases in Kuri - strong opposition present. Clione's team is working on getting the locations for the bases in Udon._

"And you?" Law asks, pouring himself another cup of tea. They go silent as a man walks past, heading past their table towards the back of the stop. "How's the travelling going? Make any new friends?"

Roronoa snorts dismissively. "Hardly. They're all to damn scared of their own shadows, won't leave their nests, and all the ones in town have gotten fat. Half of them wouldn't know what to do with a sword if you gutted them with one."

"I'll let the old man know." Law sighs, slotting the new information into place in the greater puzzle. They'd speculated that Orochi might have the yakuza under his thumb, but Roronoa's news just confirms it. And it seems the bandits won't be much help either, not if they're too scared to make a move against Kaidou's men. "Think he wanted you to head to the Flower Capital next. There's some people there he's interested in talking to."

"It's not like I've got anything else to do." Roronoa says, expression indifferent, downing the last of his sake in one long gulp.

"Take care heading out." Law says as Roronoa moves to rise, adjusting his yukata and checking his swords are all secured at his side. "I hear the fortune teller's back in town. It'd be bad luck to run into them."

Hawkins was an unexpected player in Wano. The last Law had heard he'd been in an alliance with the Kid Pirates and the On Air Pirates, thought to be preparing to make a move on Red Haired Shanks, and yet the Hawkins Pirates are here on Wano with the Drake Pirates of all people, playing subordinate to Kaidou with no sign of the rest of Hawkins' alliance. It worries Law. The samurai of Wano might be tough, but it's Hawkins and the other pirate captains who pose a real threat. Hawkin is smart, and worse his devil fruit ability gives him some measure of foresight. If anyone's likely to cotton on to them, it's him. 

Law's set up White as a waitress in the cafe across the street from Kaidou's Bakura Town base, which should keep them well informed of the Hundred Beast Pirates comings and goings, but even that's a risk. There's a fine line between covert surveillance and getting caught, and the moment Hawkins catches sight of even one of them he'll realize something is up. The Straw Hats might be strong, but they're not subtle. The moment they get spotted any chance of secrecy is shot to hell.

"Don't cause any trouble, Zorojuro-san." Law calls after Roronoa as he leaves, and Roronoa just waves a hand over his shoulder, already stepping out the door. Law sighs, leaning back in his chair, and finds himself glancing over the paper once more. 

_... on the 17th of May the Straw Hat Pirates once again shook the foundations of the world, launching an audacious, carefully orchestrated assassination attempt against the Pirate Empress Big Mom with the help of the Army of Germa, the Sun Pirates, and the Fire Tank Pirates, moving against the Empress during the ceremony of her daughters wedding. Vinsmoke Sanji, son of the King of Germa and the groom of the hour, is said to have been one of the accomplices in the attack, launching the assassination attempt from the very alter where he was set to marry Princess Pudding, Big Mom's most beloved daughter. The attempt failed, but not before causing catastrophic damage to Whole Cake Island and heavy losses to the Big Mom Pirates..._

"Carefully orchestrated." Law snorts, torn between exasperation and weary resignation. Only Straw Hat would be able to recruit an army of ruthless killers to do his bidding in a country surrounded by enemies, attacking Big Mom right at the heart of her kingdom and escaping to tell the tale. Now if only Straw Hat could pull off the same thing with Kaidou, they might actually have a shot of making this work.

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Law says, studying the photo on the front page. Straw Hat is grinning, his smile a fierce and joyous thing, one hand clamped over his hat as he runs, the rest of the image devolving into chaos around him. The article itself might be rubbish, but the photo is strangely apt. Law flicks the paper down and stands, draining the last of his tea and leaving the tea house without a backwards glance, the paper still lying open on the table behind him. 

_... the whereabouts of the Straw Hat Pirates are yet unknown, but one can't help but wonder: does Straw Hat Luffy's meteoric rise to power represent the coming of a fifth Pirate Emperor?_

* * *

_Keep it subtle_ Law had said, so of course the first things he hears when he returns to Bakura Town two days later is that Roronoa has killed the town magistrate. The _Crossroads Killer,_ they're calling him, because of course it wasn't enough to just kill the magistrate, no, he had to get himself framed as a serial killer too. 

The Bakura Town is kicked hornets nest, the city guard and the Hundred Beast Pirates out in force, combing every street in search of Roronoa. They haven't found him yet, Roronoa hunkering down in some bolt hole, but it's only a matter of time. Law keeps a wary eye on the situation, waiting until cover of night, and then slips out of the town, heading for Oden Castle.

"Fortunately Roronoa's cover wasn't blown." Law says, crossing his arms and peering out the door at the distant lights at the base of the hill. The lights are too dense to make out the shifting flame of individuals torches, but Law has no doubt the search parties are still there. Kin'emon paces the room, restless and frantic, and Law resists the urge to tell him to sit down.

"They think it's an isolated incident, some ronin causing trouble, but so long as he's on the run the government is going to be on high alert. Which means they're more likely to investigate any other disturbances. We need to be careful. One incident might be able to slip under the radar, but if anyone else gets made then someone might catch on."

"I'll spread the word to Nico-dono and the rest of the Straw Hats." Kin'emon says, hand coming to rest on the hilt of his sword. He does that a lot, Law's noticed, and he isn't sure if it's just a nervous tick or a reaction to situations of stress. Whatever the case, he hopes Kin'emon never ends up in charge of negotiating a hostage situation, because a tick like that will get someone killed. "What about Roronoa-dono?" 

"At this point the government is going to be hunting him no matter we do, so he might as well make himself useful." Law says, taking a step away from the door and sliding it firmly shut, blocking Bakura Town from view. He turns, glancing over the maps. "Tell him to keep moving, head east. They'll track him that way and it'll hopefully keep them distracted from our movements here." 

"I'll send someone down in the morning once curfew's lifted." Kin'emon nods. "At this point any rushed messages are just going to draw more attention."

Law inclines his head, sitting down on a nearby crate and glancing over their maps once more with a sigh. He's desperate for a smoke, would kill a man for a single cup of fucking coffee, and it doesn't help that he was supposed to leave for Udon today. Clione and the rest are expecting him in Aburaage tomorrow, to stake out Kaidou's base in the town there, which means he'll have to move double speed tomorrow if he wants to make it in time to canvas both the fort and the magistrate's office before Clione and the others move on to the Kakiage. Law drags his hands through his head, leaning back against the wall with a rough exhale. 

Kin'emon finally takes a seat, heaving a sigh of his own. "I don't think I've ever actually thanked you." Kin'emon says, glancing at Law. "You and your men have been invaluable. Things would be going much more roughly if you weren't here."

"Don't thank me yet." Law says, dragging a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it with a flick of his finger. He lets his head fall back, sucking in a long drag. "We might all still die."

"Still." Kin'emon says, ducking his head in a small bow, and god, these samurai are stubborn aren't they? "We appreciate your assistance. Wano will not forget what you've done. Once this all over, ask for anything and if it is in our power we will grant you it."

"Save the talk of rewards until after Kaidou is dead. It's all just empty words at his point." Law says, shooting Kin'emon a flat look, not quite sure whether he feels irritated or amused. It's always a toss up with Kin'emon. And maybe Law's just jaded, but he finds it hard to take seriously anyone who believes so stridently and earnestly in honor and justice. They've never been anything but empty words to Law, and yet the samurai of Wano are willing to lay down their lives for them. It's strangely naïve.

"Perhaps." Kin'emon concedes, inclining his head. "But is is a promise I will do my utmost to fulfill regardless. A samurai does not forget his debts."

Law chuckles, breathing out a long plume of smoke and watching it drift towards the crumbling hole in the wall, distant lights just visible on the dark pane of the horizon. "Well." Law says. "I guess we'll see, won't we?" 

* * *

The days pass both too quickly and too slowly. The work is never ending, and it seems that he barely sets foot in one town before Kin'emon is sending him on to the next. In one night he'll visit as many as three buildings, slipping in through open windows and not so open doors. Law becomes rather a deft hand at lock picking, and after the fourth time he's sent to break into some noble or another's mansion, he gets a knack for finding places to hide as he slips past the staff. The fact that all the houses are laid on raised foundations with trapdoors present for storage purposes certainly doesn't hurt, though it means Law spends far more time than he might like crawling on his belly beneath people's houses. 

Most of his work is done in the dead of night, scrawling hurried notes as he combs through deployment records and correspondence between Kaidou's forces - only for him to do it all again once morning comes, painstakingly relaying every scrap of information back to the team on the _Polar Tang_ , to be sorted and sent on to Kin'emon and their people at Oden Castle. Then they're on the road again, already heading for the next town, the next base, the next noble country manor.

There's too much to do and to little time to do it in, and Law feels the looming deadline of the Fire Festival like a loose around his neck, slowly growing a little tighter. Slowly, the plan is coming together, but there are still too many moving parts, too much risk of something going wrong. It's a logistic nightmare, and somehow Law has found himself graced with the task of finding a way to somehow pull it all together. 

Law is too self-aware to pretend that Straw Hat's impending arrival doesn't play a part in his growing anxiety. That night on the balcony weighs heavy on Law, and with every day that passes, Straw Hat's arrival looming ever closer, the weight only seems to increase. It's a bit less than a week of travel between Wano and Totland, and depending on the weather the remaining Straw Hats could arrive any day now. 

_I'll wait,_ Straw Hat had said, and last time they had seen each other Straw Hat had held to that, not bringing up their discussion during the council meeting or their conversation before the Straw Hats departure, but two weeks have now passed. If Straw Hat demands an response Law doesn't know what his answer will be, what his answer _should_ be. 

Any sort of falling out between him and Straw Hat could put the entire alliance in jeopardy, sending the entire Wano operation crashing down around their heads. Law has had two weeks to think about it, and he's still no more certain about what he should do than the night Straw Hat approached him. Should he ignore the issue, pretend it never happened? Confront Straw Hat off the bat, let him down quickly and hope he's level headed enough to get over it? And if he isn't, what then does that mean for the alliance, the plan against Kaidou? If it comes down to it, Straw Hats loss is the one they can least afford. Without him, their chances of taking down Kaidou are infinitesimal.

There's no easy solution, no solve-all answer to this quandary, and short of taking his men and fleeing Wano before Straw Hat's arrival Law is at a loss for what to do about it. In the end, Law does the only thing he can - he avoids the problem, throws himself into his work instead with a simpleminded sort of determination. He can almost feel the first pieces beginning to slot into place, the threads of the plan slowly weaving together under his watchful eye. It's still rough, still a bit delicate, but with some luck it might actually work. And if his efforts have the secondary effect of keeping him too busy to worry about Straw Hat then all the better. 

* * *

The first they hear of Straw Hat's arrival is an explosion in Bakura Town. 

It's heralded by a noise not unlike an earthquake - the shrieking, crashing cacophony of buildings splintering beneath great force, voices crying out in fear. Not moments later the first thick plumes of smoke begin to rise, though whether the fire was an intentional effect or merely the result of the downed buildings catching alight from some untended kitchen fire, Law can't say.

At the first noise, Law jerks upright, throwing down the paper he'd been reading, and lunges to his feet, racing to the battlements, Kin'emon, Bepo, and Jean Bart following a step behind. By the time they reach the edge, smoke rises thick from the base of the hill, cutting a hazy path through the air and obscuring the town, but even that's not enough to conceal the damage - the town center is a mess, entire streets now little more than rubble, fires raging as some of the fallen buildings begin to catch alight, threatening to spread the fire to the surrounding streets.

Law casts a grim eye over the destruction while Kin'emon gapes, horrified. "What the-"

There's movement around the town center, people running in every direction as streams of civilians flee the ruined streets. As they watch the street seems to shudder, and Law can almost hear the distant crunch of wood giving way as another building suddenly jerks and begins to collapse in on itself. Law can just make out someone jumping across one of the rooftops, a crowd following in heavy pursuit, and-

"Wait." Kin'emon says, shock giving way to an expression of dawning understanding. "Is that-?"

"Yeah." Law replies flatly, unable to muster more than a vague sense of resignation as he watches the streets explode into action one more - one of the nice, quiet, _calm,_ streets of Bakura Town abruptly collapsing into a heap of rubble as something gets slingshotted through it. "It's Straw Hat."

"But- The plan-" Kin'emon says numbly, flinching slightly as another block goes up in flames. He sucks in a shaking breath, scrubbing his hands over his face roughly, and exhales, shoulders slumping. "Amaterasu protect us."

_That's what you get for making an alliance with Straw Hat,_ Law thinks, sending Kin'emon a flat look. There's a cry from behind them, and they turns to see Penguin and Sachi sprinting up the path, arms waving frantically. "Straw Hat and Ro- _ha._ Roronoa, they're here! In Bak- _haa,_ fuck- Bakura Town!" Sachi wheezes, his face red and blotchy. 

"We'd noticed." Law says dryly. He doubts there's a single person within a dozen miles who hasn't, given the sheer amount of smoke rising from Bakura Town. 

"-no." Penguin pants stumbling to a stop before Law, doubled over and clutching at his sides. "You don't get it. He- _ha._ He came through the wastes, _ha,_ and fucking- Fucking _Hawkins_ is coming in hot from that direction. Fuck, _ha-_ Has a whole party of guys with him-"

_"Fuck."_ Law snarls, already turning. Bepo meets him halfway, tossing Kikoku in his direction. Law snatches it out of the air, already moving. "I'm going to see if I can head him off." Law snaps, turning to Kin'emon, pausing only long enough to snatch up an old straw basket from the steps of the storehouse. "Keep a close eye on the town. If things go sour we might need to abandon Oden Castle. Bepo, with me!" 

Law doesn't wait to hear his response, taking off down the hill at full speed, Bepo sprinting along beside him. Bepo is fast, but not fast enough. They need to be in town five minutes ago. Law darts closer, grabbing Bepo by the arm even as a _Room_ snaps out around them. Bepo has a split second to tense and then they're gone, landing on the ground a couple of meters down the hill. Law keeps it up, extending _Rooms_ in tiny bursts to speed them along, _shambling_ every second step, not daring to increase it beyond the height of the tree line for fear of drawing attention. All the while he clenches his fingers around Kikoku's hilt, gritting his teeth and praying that Straw Hat doesn't do anything dumb, doesn't cause an incident-

Who is he fucking kidding. Straw Hat is going to cause an incident. Straw Hat always causes an incident. 

They reaches the base of the hill in record time. Law draws in a tight breath, the force of the successive _shambles_ punching the air from his lungs, leaving him dizzy-headed. They forest falls away behind them, abruptly cutting off as they reach the edge of the wasteland surrounding Okobore Town, and Law releases Bepo's arm. _Rooms_ wont do them any good here, not when any random fuck within two miles will be able to spot the glow. They take off at a run, Law jamming the basket over his own head as they sprint full tilt towards the distant torii gate of Bakura Town. It's a sorry excuse for a mask, but it'll have to do for now.

"Get in there and find White's team." Law orders, skidding to a stop beneath the torii. "Tell them to get out of town. If things turn to shit I don't want them caught in the middle of it."

"Be careful." Bepo nods sharply, before peeling off down one of the nearby streets, angling himself away from the chaos at the center of the town. Up close the damage looks even worse. The smoke is so thick it's almost blinding, blanketing entire streets whenever the wind turns it that way. The noise is even worse, a symphony of splintering wood and screaming as people flee through the streets, desperately trying to organize a fire response, the cataclysmic sound of cracking wood rending the air as every move in the fight takes it's toll on the surroundings. 

Law shoots a sharp look down the main street, then turns, fixing his gaze on the wasteland instead. He doesn't know what exactly it was that sparked Straw Hat's ire, but he has plenty of guesses. Wano is exactly the sort of place that a softhearted fool like Straw Hat can't stand, the air rank with injustice and suffering, and Law can all too easily imagine Straw Hat letting himself get dragged into it. But whatever fight Straw Hat has gotten himself in, he'll have to take care of it himself. Roronoa is with him, he knows the plan - hopefully that'll be enough to keep Straw Hat from doing anything too drastic. 

There's a haze on the horizon, a dark shadow growing in the wasteland, and Law narrow's his eyes as it resolves itself into a pack of riders heading his way. Law takes a step forward, Kikoku leaning on his shoulder, and watches as the riders draw up a dozen meters from the gate. Hawkins rides at their head, the dark tattoos on his brow and the grim glint in his eyes enough to give him away. 

He narrows his eyes, gaze flicking over Law. Law meets his gaze squarely, face hidden in the shadow of the basket. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to go any further." Law says coldly, stepping forward and raising Kikoku. 

Hawkins men shift restlessly behind him, reaching for their own weapons, but Hawkins stills them with look. He sits back in his saddle, staring down at Law, eyes sharp. Law knows that look. It's the very same expression he sports when deciding where to make the first cut, sizing up the target for resistance. Hawkins will be a tough opponent, of that there is no doubt. All the more reason to kill him here and now.

"Strange." Hawkins says, curling his fingers around his deck of cards. A flick of his fingers scatters a handful of them in the air before him. They hang suspended there, untouched by the effects of gravity, laid out neatly before Hawkins as if placed there by his very own hand. His eyes flick over them one by one, expression cold and inscrutable. "There was only a 12% chance of additional interference. The cards counted this an unlikely outcome."

"What a shame." Law replies flatly, and lunges. Kikoku slides from it's sheath, the blade singing at it cuts through the air, Law's skin prickling with the cold-slick feeling of Haki sliding up the blade. Hawkins' men rear back, mounts hissing and baring their teeth as their riders cry out, but by then it's too late. The attack hits, Kikoku cutting a bloody path right across Hawkins chest-

Only for one of Hawkins men to fall instead, tumbling from his mount with a pained cry, blood spilling down his front. Hawkins narrows his eyes, untouched, and Law makes an annoyed noise, darting back as the rest of Hawkins men finally collect themselves, throwing themselves at Law with a war cries. Law twirls, retreating just long enough to avoid the brunt of the attacks. He ducks under the first slash, cutting one man down at the knees as he twists through the crowd, blood spilling hot and think across Kikoku's edge, before abruptly throwing himself back as something streaks towards his head. 

Kikoku catches it at the last second, sparks rising as their blades meet, deflecting Hawkins' blade mere inches from his skin. No, Law realizes sharply, as it suddenly twists, darting around Kikoku with almost liquid flexibility, not a blade. _Straw._ It twists around Kikoku, changes directions in mid air, and surges towards his head at lightening speed. Law's eyes widen, and the throws himself out of the way. Law darts back, buying himself some distance, watching Hawkins cautiously, quickly reassessing his odds. Hawkins is strong, but then Law knew he would be. This changes nothing. 

"You're no random ronin." Hawkins notes, his sword retracting with a flick of his wrist, the straw slithering back to the hilt of the blade. An odd weapon, but not the weirdest Law has seen. Now the cards, they concern him more - they're still floating before Hawkins, some of them beginning to glow ominously. "Who are you?"

"None of your concern." Law snaps, lunging for Hawkins once more. Hawkins is a puzzling opponent - skilled and experienced, and yet he makes only the barest effort to defend himself, blocking attacks but rarely bothering to dodge at all. Getting past his sword is a trick in of itself, but once the attack slips through Hawkins just- lets it. Law makes a low noise, darting in, Kikoku catches Hawkins right across the neck even as his own sword bursts into action, streaking towards Law's head, sacrificing the chance to avoid the blow for an opportunity to slip in a strike of his own. Law's eyes widen and he throws himself back even as Hawkins sword tears through the brittle straw of the basket, passing perilously close to his eye. 

Law darts away, ducking under the quick snake-strike of Hawkins next attack and kicking one of Hawkins men in the chest when the man attempts to take advantage of Law's distraction. There's wet gurgle from behind him as another of Hawkins' men falls, absorbing the damage, and Law's eyes dart to the man, narrowing his eyes at Hawkins through the hole in the basket, left gaping after Hawkins' last attack. That's two wounds now that should have killed Hawkins, and Law has little hope that a third attempt will produce a different result. It's Hawkins devil fruit, that much is obvious, but short of using the Ope-Ope fruit, Law isn't sure how to counter it. 

Law makes an annoyed noise, fingers tightening around Kikoku's hilt, and he contemplates using the Ope-Ope fruit anyway. It's a risk. If he activates and still doesn't managed to kill Hawkins, then his identity will have been revealed for nothing. And yet... Hawkins is strong. Without the Ope-Ope fruit, Law doesn't like his chances. Choices, choices... 

Hawkins' denden-mushi crackles to life. _"Hawkins! Holdem's been defeated by thieves! They've made off with today's delivery and are escaping. We're reporting the incident to Master Jack-"_

Fuck. Law grinds his teeth, eyes darting to Hawkins. This is exactly the sort of attention they didn't want to draw - if one of Kaidou's commanders goes down, Kaidou will take notice, and then Jack the Drought will be the least of their worries. For a second Law teeters on the verge of activating a Room - it'd be worth it he thinks, so long as he can take Hawkins out in one attack. Hawkins came to Bakura Town in pursuit of Straw Hat. If Law can take him out here and now they might be able to escape this incident without Kaidou realizing who's behind it.

A sudden crashing noise from down the street takes the decision from his hands, and Law glances down the street to see one of the supply wagons from Paradise Farm come careening around the corner, almost tilting off it's axis with the force of the turn, before it's wheels abruptly hit the ground once more. It barrels towards them at breakneck speed, and through the hazy clouds of smoke Law can just make out a grinning face at it's prow.

Law curses, twisting abruptly, and lunges for Hawkins. Hawkins raises his sword, but Law ducks under it, sweeping Kikoku across the flank of Hawkins mount and taking off at a run. The wagon is already rocketing past and Law makes a dash for it, scooping up Kikoku's sheath and vaulting up onto the side of the wagon even as Hawkins' mount collapses, throwing his men into chaos. By the time he pulls himself up over the side the wagon is already through the torii gate, careening wildly through the wasteland towards Okobore Town. 

"I told you not to cause any fucking trouble!" Law snarls at Roronoa, yanking the basket off his head and tossing it over the side of the wagon. "You we're supposed to have left Kuri days ago!" 

"Ah." Roronoa says, completely unapologetic. "Yeah. I got lost."

"You _got lost."_ Law says flatly, and Roronoa just shrugs. It's the most ridiculous thing Law has ever heard. _Roronoa_ is ridiculous. All the fucking Straw Hats are ridiculous. What's the point of trying to run a covert, _delicate,_ fucking operation if the first thing they're going to do is _set a fucking town on fire??_ Law wants to scream. He wants to take Roronoa by the collar and fucking _shake him_ until it knocks some sense into that empty fucking head of his. 

"Oh hey, its Torao!" Straw Hat says, finally noticing him. He twists, turning where he's standing at the brow of the- Wagon? Boat? Fucking supply cart, it doesn't even fucking _matter_ \- to grin at Law. 

"Don't get me started on you!" Law snaps, shooting him a venomous look. "You're a goddamn fucking disaster!"

Straw Hat just grins, looking far too pleased. Law has the desperate, visceral urge to shove him off the wagon. _"Shishishi!_ I missed you too!"

Law makes an inarticulate noise of rage and turns around before he can throttle Straw Hat, gritting his teeth so hard it feels like they're going to break, and glowers out at the wasteland instead, because if he doesn't then he's going to take a crowbar to Straw Hat's fucking skull. 

* * *

Okoboke Town is a sad, miserable place, the people just as threadbare and patched up as the buildings. The air is sour with the acrid stench of hunger and unwashed bodies, thick with the dust that blows in from the wastelands. It's a dying town, clinging to life only through the constant influx of new inhabitants, each new arrival more desperate and down on their luck than the last. 

They gather at the outskirts of town to greet Straw Hat, waving and cheering as the wagon trundles to a halt, Straw Hat springing to the ground with a grin. The crowd swarms closer, pressing up around the wagon, eager hands reaching up to unload its bounty, passing it back through the crowd, and Law leaves them to it, hopping down from the wagon and slipping out through the crowd, glaring at anyone who dares look his way. 

It's funny, Law thinks bitterly, for someone who so ardently claims not to want to be a hero, Straw Hat still spends a lot of his fucking time acting like one. First those kids on Punk Hazards, then the inhabitants of Dressrosa, and now the citizens of Okobore Town... Straw Hat seems determined to be the champion of the downtrodden. 

If it were anyone else, Law might think it was an intentional maneuver, a targeted attempt at ingratiating the alliance with the populace of Wano, fostering loyalty and malcontent in the lead up to the rebellion against Kaidou. Already he can see the first sparks of it, a tentative hope spreading like a wildfire through the crowd, life returning to peoples faces as they realize they might have a chance, that things might finally change. In one day Straw Hat has done more to foster rebellion amongst the people of Wano than Law's careful scheming might achieve in a month, and he's done it completely by accident. 

He doesn't know if the people of Okobore Town see it too, but the effects are felt all the same. Already the inhabitants of Okobore Town look to Straw Hat with awe in their eyes, a new determination straightening their spines - Straw Hat has a knack for it, it seems, inspiring loyalty where ever he goes. The fact that he doesn't even seem to notice he's doing it only endears him to them all the more, every waved off praise only raising him in their esteem, every easy grin and slap on the shoulder restoring to these people a dignity that has been too long buried, worn down beneath years of poverty and neglect. 

How long, Law wonders, since someone last treated these people like they were human and not a blight to be ignored? Tolerated only so much as they agree to starve in silence, out of sight and out of mind, carefully swept away into the wastelands with the rest of the trash. How many other places are there like this in the world? How many other lands hide the consequences of their society beneath a thin veneer of tranquility, beautiful only so long as you don't look too closely? Too many, Law thinks wearily. All too many.

Law pulls a cigarette from his pocket, taking a seat on the low stone wall that surrounds the ruins of the old well as he watches the crowd ebb and sway around Straw Hat. He takes a long drag, running his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to alleviate the low throbbing growing behind his temples, and lets out a long breath, the smoke giving the sigh physical form. 

He leans forward, settling his elbows on his knees, and sucks in another long drag, letting the smoke curl and bloom through his lungs as he takes stock of the situation. This is going to be a mess. The amount of work they're going to have to do just to try and contain the damage from Straw Hat's little incident in Bakura Town is already enough to give Law a headache, let alone the repercussions if Kaidou finds out Straw Hat's in Wano. And he will, because Hawkins is anything but dumb, and the moment he spotted Straw Hat any chance they had of keeping his presence secret vanished out the window. 

The goods from Paradise Farm are quickly distributed, vanishing into eager hands as what seems like the entirety of Oboke Town gathers to join in the feast, men and women weeping openly in the streets as they fill their bellies for the first time in, well, years. Straw Hat stands in the midst of it all, either oblivious or indifferent to the chaos he's caused, chatting cheerfully with a kid in a ratty yukata. 

Straw Hat grins, saying something, and ruffles her hair, earning a glowing grin in from the child in return, before seeing her off, loading her up with as much food as she could carry and lighting her onto the back of Commander Speed - who, Law thinks dryly, had still been one of Kaidou's loyal servants last he'd heard, but then that's just Straw Hat isn't it?

Finally Straw Hat extracts himself from the crowd, waving at Roronoa where he'd been poking through the casks of sake and making a beeline for Law. "Torao, not going to eat anything?" Straw Hat asks, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Law just makes an irritated noise, rising to his feet and tossing his cigarette to the ground, scuffing it beneath the toe of his boot. 

"No." Law says, setting Kikoku firmly against his shoulder. He meets Straw Hat's grin with a flat look. "Come on, it's time to go. We've lingered too long already."

_"Shishishi._ Alright!" Straw Hat grins. Law makes a short noise, already turning away, as Straw Hat pauses, yelling for Roronoa and waving his last farewells to the crowd. Roronoa appears with a follower in tow, a woman from Wano. Law narrows his eyes, sending her a suspicious look, but she just ducks her head politely and smiles, pulling up the hem of her yukata to reveal a dark flash of ink on her ankle. 

"This way." Law says shortly, leading them out the southern approach and into the wasteland, walking until the terrain grows rugged enough to block them from view before circling back around, heading back north towards the hills. 

Straw Hat keeps up a steady stream of chatter the whole way, cheerfully recounting the events in Totland to his captive audience, his tale leaping between subjects almost at random, quickly losing any sense of coherency. "-the cake was amazing! It was huge! So big that a hundred of me could fit inside it, Zoro, you should have seen it. Sanji learnt how to make it too, it's great-"

Roronoa grunts, rolling his eye. "Can't be that good, if the perv can make it."

_"Shishishi._ We'll have to ask him to make us some." Straw Hat grins, almost vibrating with excitement. "Everything was made of food there, ya know? It was amazing. There was a whole cafe built of chocolate, _man_ it was good. Hey, do you think Sanji would make us a chocolate house is we asked?"

Law stops listening after that. Roronoa gives a grumbling reply, his answer spurring Straw Hat into another long rambling tangent, which Roronoa answers mostly in grunts. Straw Hat doesn't seem to mind the lack of response, carrying on enough for the both of them. And this is Straw Hat being quiet, Law reminds himself. Put him in a room with Chopper, Usopp, or even Franky and the noise increases exponentially. 

"Hey hey, you guys been getting up to anything fun while I wasn't here?" Straw Hat asks as they finally reach the summit of the hill, the tree's falling away to reveal the charred carcass of Oden Castle. Mist hugs the hilltops, coiling around the ramparts, the ruins forming jagged shapes in the fog. Straw Hat makes an awed noise, gawking at the ruins. "Woah, this place is wrecked. I thought it was supposed to be a castle?" 

"It was." Law says, leading them up through what was once the main gates, the great gates now nothing more than a blackened skeleton, the stone walls crumbled and overgrown. Even here the ash is thick underfoot, almost black in the dim light save for those few stark pockets of white where bits of old bone catch the light. "Twenty years ago. Now only ghosts live here."

Law walks on, leading them deeper into the ruins, to the heart of the castle where they've set up their base. He only realizes that they've stopped following him when he pauses and looks back. Roronoa and the woman have vanished and Straw Hat stands frozen, staring at the graves that mark the foot of the hill. 

"Torao." Straw Hat says, voice strangled. He glances at Law, his face a mask of dawning horror. "These graves, they say-"

"They're alive." Law says. He glances at the graves, pausing on each name one by one - nine warriors, and the lord they died to protect - and tells himself it's not to avoid seeing the look of open relief on Straw Hat's face, the way he shakes himself, the fraught tension in his shoulders abruptly disappearing. 

"Come on." Law says, inclining his head and turning away from the graves. "There's a lot you need to be caught up on."

* * *

The rest of the Straw Hats had washed up on the shore of Kuri a couple of hours ago and had make contact with the Minks base there, Inuarashi directing them towards Oden Castle. The woman, Kikunojo, is apparently one of Lord Oden's old retainers, one of the Nine Red Scabbards who'd remained behind during their twist through time, taking the long way round. Kin'emon near weeps when he sees her, sweeping her up in a bruising hug, Raizou only one step behind.

By the time Kin'emon and Kikunojo have finished catching up, Penguin comes running up from the watchpoint to announce the arrival of the remaining Straw Hats. The words have barely past his lips before Straw Hat is bounding out the door, already grinning, the courtyard erupting into a cacophony of noise as the Straw Hats catch sight of their errant captain. 

"- can't believe you fell off the ship! You could have drowned!" Nami snaps, whacking Straw Hat over the back the head. He just laughs, sweeping her up in a twirling hug before abruptly turning to Chopper, accepting the doctor's own scolding with a cheerful grin. Black Leg and Roronoa have already found each other, snapping and snarling at each other like a pair of stray dogs, as is their want, and from the sound of splintering wood its already devolved to a physical brawl.

The noise quickly attracts the rest of the castle's inhabitants, Bepo and remaining the Heart Pirates wandering over from where the Heart Pirates have being doing their own debriefing. White and the team that had been keeping an eye on Bakura Town are among them, Law notes. "Everyone get out okay?" Law asks, as Bepo falls into place beside him. 

Bepo nods. There's soot in his fur, staining his pristine coat with streaks of black, the scent of smoke still hanging in the air around him, around them both. "Well, um, Jaquine sprained his ankle, but apart from that just bruises. Nobody even noticed us slip away."

Law lets out a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, some of the tension easing from his shoulders now that his crew are all safe and accounted for. "Good. Switch him with Sachi. Jaquine can take over his place in the Castle team, rest up until he's healed."

"Penguin will complain." Bepo sighs, his face falling. Whenever Sachi and Penguin fight, Bepo always gets dragged right into the middle of it. A perk of being first mate. Settling crew disputes is his job, not Law's. 

Law just rolls his eyes, wincing slightly as Roronoa and Black Leg somehow manage to kick an entirely new hole through one of the walls. "He'll get over it." Law says. "With any luck the sprain will be mild and Jaquine will be up and about again before the end of the week." 

Kin'emon calls the Straw Hats to order a few minutes later, greeting them solemnly. "Come. I suppose it's time we tell you the whole story."

The Straw Hats, save Roronoa, trade confused glances, but acquiesce, following Kin'emon in. Law watches silently as Kin'emon once again spills the whole sorry tale once more, the Straw Hats taking the news with unexpected grace and only a minimal amount of yelling, Law only speaking up when it comes time to catch the Straw Hats up on the plan they've concocted. 

"So we're going to fight them?" Straw Hat grins, cracking his knuckles. 

"Yes." Kin'emon says, nodding his head. "But not yet. We strike on the first night of the festival. For now our goal is to spread the word and gather allies. Other members of the Nine Scabbards may have survived - we're working on tracking them down."

_"Shishishi,_ sounds fun." Straw Hat says. White and the others bring out food at some point, the meeting quickly devolving into something of a party as the various Straw Hats and samurai make merry, catching each other up on the events that have happened since they last met, the Straw Hats launching into a gleeful recounting the adventure in Totland. At some point someone decides to call up the rest of the Straw Hats, and Law slips out the back door, leaving them to it.

The sky is overcast, clouds reaching low enough that they snag on the hills, enveloping them in a creeping mist, and Law finds himself standing on of the old ramparts, leaning against the broken remains of what might once have been a wall as he watches the sky. He can still hear the party, the sounds of muffled laughter echoing across the courtyard, the voices of his own men recognizable among them. Law doesn't begrudge them the chance to make merry, god knows there's few enough chances for it in the coming weeks. 

Out here the air is thick with the scent of rain, pleasantly cool, and Law takes a deep breath. It'll rain soon, tomorrow if not today, and knowing Wano they'll be lucky if it's just a drizzle. From what Kin'emon has said, when it rains in Wano it tends to rain for weeks. Law lights a cigarette, taking a gentle drag. Merlow would scold him if he saw him, Chopper too, but Law can't bring himself to care. He sighs, blowing out a long column of smoke and leaning back against the wall, idly wondering how he's supposed to make this all work.

What happened in Bakura Town was a clusterfuck of epic proportions, but what's done is done, as as much as Law would like it there's yet no way to rewind the clock. The plan will have to be adjusted, that much is certain. If Kaidou isn't already aware that Straw Hat is in Wano he will be soon, and at that point the best they can do is try to mitigate the damage, make him think that the Straw Hats are working alone. So long as Kaidou and Orochi don't catch on to the true extent of the forces acting against them, the plan is still salvageable. 

Law wonders when he became such a soft touch. A year ago, hell, even a couple of months ago he would have looked at odds like these and walked in the opposite direction. And yet here he is, planning a futile, reckless campaign against one of the strongest pirates in the known world. What a mess.

There's a quiet rattle from across the way, the sliding screen complaining as it's opened, and for a moment the noise of the party echos through the courtyard, snatches of conversation slipping out into the open air before the door rattles shut again. There's a gentle clatter, footsteps approaching, but Law doesn't look back, watching the mist curl over the hills. 

Straw Hat settles beside Law without a word, hopping up onto the wall, legs kicking back and forth gently as he shoots a long glance over the misted silhouette of the ruins. 

"You know this is going to make this all that much harder right?" Law says, finally breaking the silence, sending Straw Hat a sideways look as he brings his cigarette back to his lips. "What you did in Bakura Town... Kaidou will learn you were responsible, assuming he hasn't already, and when he does he will stop at nothing to hunt you down."

"Let him come." Straw Hat hums, leaning back. "I'm not scared of him."

"That's the sort of statement that'll get us all killed." Law says, but his tone is more resigned than anything. He leans forward until his arms rest against the cool stone, cigarette held loosely between his fingers, and blows out a column of smoke, letting it join the mist.

_"Shishishi,_ it'll all work out. Isn't that what all your planning is for?" Straw Hat says, shooting him a easy, careless grin.

Law makes a dismissive noise. Plan or not, when it comes down to it there's only so much they can do. In the end it all it comes down to whether Straw Hat can beat Kaidou. Either Straw Hat will win, or he will not, and Law has known Straw Hat long enough to know better than to think he has the faintest chance of predicting the outcome. 

"Get that on Totland?" Law asks, nodding at Straw Hat's side. Chopper's done a decent job at bandaging it, the gauze mostly hidden by the sweep of Straw Hats shirt, but Law's not a doctor for nothing. Still, it must have been a pretty nasty wound to still be giving Straw Hat trouble a week later. Straw Hat heals quickly.

"Yep." Straw Hat says, pulling open his shirt to gaze proudly at the wound. "There were some good fights there. This was from the Dog-guy. Almost thought he had me for a second there, but I won in the end. _Shishishi._ He had the coolest smile. I wanna fight him again, but next time without all the wedding stuff. It's no fun if you just have to run off right after."

"How troublesome for you." Law replies dryly. Only Straw Hat would take on one of the Four Emperors and want go to back for more. Most people quail at the thought of fighting one, let alone challenging two at once. Straw Hat really does have the luck of the devil. 

Straw Hat just grins, shrugging, his expression all together too cheerful. "Nah, it was fine. And anyway, we didn't want to miss out on all the fun here."

_"Fun."_ Law snorts, plucking his cigarette from his lips and turning it over in his fingers. "Of course. Who doesn't love a little coup d'état?"

Straw Hat snickers, heels scuffing the stone a little as his legs he shifts, drawing one leg up against his chest, the other still hanging loose. Above, the first pattering drops of rain begin to fall, painting dark spots on the aged stone. Straw Hat just tilts his head back, grinning as the first raindrops fall hit his skin. Wreathed in mist and kissed by the gentle rain, even the wastelands look beautiful, and yet Law finds himself watching Straw Hat instead, a restless itch beneath his skin dragging his gaze back to him. 

"You didn't ask. About my answer to your question." Law says. His fingers tighten around the cigarette, crinkling the paper, a part of him already regretting bringing it up. Law forges on anyway. "I expected you to."

Straw Hat glances at him and hums, leaning back with a one-shouldered shrug. "I said I'd wait."

"And if I never have an answer for you?" Law presses, tucking the cigarette back between his lips and taking a long drag to try and quell the restless energy itching beneath his skin. "What then?"

Straw Hat opens his mouth, only to be interrupted by the flicker of lightening, the world flashing white as it dances across the sky, the thunder sounding a moment later. The clouds over the wasteland have grown darker, pregnant with rain, the air sharp with static energy. As Law watches, the clouds grow darker still, an inky shape spilling across the sky.

Law feels something inside his chest go taut as the shape manifests itself, breaching the clouds with another cracking surge of lightening, for a moment illuminating the curve of a long sinuous body, dark scales flashing as the last wisps of cloud fall away. 

Straw Hat gapes, his hat almost slipping between his fingers as the wind picks up, threatening to snatch it from his head. "Is that-"

"Kaidou." Law says grimly. "It seems he finally knows you're here."

The words have barely left his mouth before Straw Hat is moving, throwing himself over the ramparts and disappearing off like a shot into the forest below, heading straight towards Bakura Town, towards Kaidou. Law curses and spins, dashing back across the courtyard and wrenching open the sliding door. 

"Kaidou's in Bakura Town." Law says sharply, ignoring the startled glances his announcement earns, the quiet crash of Chopper dropping his cup. Law strides across the room, already reaching for reaching for Kikoku. "Straw Hat's gone after him, the idiot-"

"Wait, what-" Someone says, but Law just shakes his head, cutting them off. They don't have time for this. Bepo meets him halfway, handing him Kikoku, and Law nods sharply. 

"I'm going to go after him, see if I can't do some damage control." Law says, half the room following him out into the courtyard as he strides back out. He pauses just long enough to address Kin'emon. "Evacuate the castle. If things so badly, this is the fist place they'll think to look. Hell, they'll probably search it anyway. Clear out everything."

"You can't seriously be thinking of taking him on alone." Nami says, fingers tightening around her climate baton as she falls into step beside him. Law pauses at the ramparts, eyes scanning the forest below. If he can just catch a glimpse of Straw Hat... "You'll be completely outnumbered. You need back up-"

"No." Law says sharply, gaze cutting to her's. "Under no circumstance. At the moment all the know if that Straw Hat is here, maybe me too depending on whether Hawkins caught on. If they see any more of us they'll realize all of the Heart Pirates and Straw Hats are here. The rest of the alliance must not be revealed." 

Nami makes a frustrated noise, but nods sharply, seeing sense. Law wastes no more time, vaulting up onto the ruined wall, eyes tracking the distant shape of Straw Hat, little more than a shadow dashing through the trees. He's already halfway down the hill. Law gives up any hope of subtlety, letting the _Room_ burst from his skin and grow, quickly swallowing the hillside. 

It takes him two jumps to catch up with Straw Hat, each jolting step carrying him closer, the world flickering around him with each jump, and Law comes out of the _shambles_ already running, Straw Hat just visible through the trees ahead. A final _shambles_ deposits him directly beside Straw Hat, and Law falls in beside him.

"Don't suppose I can convince you not to do this." Law says, letting another quick shambles carry him forward as Straw Hat slingshots himself over the remains of the ruined bridge, Law appearing beside him again just as he lands. 

"Not a chance." Straw Hat says, and Law just sighs. He only has to look at Straw Hat's face to know that this isn't a fight he'll back down from. Kaidou will tear Okobore Town apart looking for them, and Straw Hat isn't the type to just sit back and let people die in his name. 

"Guess we're fighting then." Law says, and Straw Hat shoots him a grin that's so fiercely fond that Law almost misses a step. He catches himself, letting a _shambling_ step carry him forward, and sets his eyes on the distant figure of Kaidou, on the creature that hangs coiled over Okobore Town, drawn straight from nightmare. Heavenly dragons, the Tenryuubito call themselves, but not one is half as terrifying as the man, the monster, that stands before them now, great coils spilling over the treetops, eel-dark and twisting, born of fire and the sharp gleam of lightening striking scales. 

Law clenches his fingers around Kikoku, steeling his resolve. Monster or not, Kaidou will fall. 

There's a sound from ahead, the discordant groan and shriek of shattering wood, and then Kaidou lifts his head, serpentine body rising high above the tree line. For a moment Law thinks he's going to fly directly over their heads, but then Kaidou stills, enormous maw opening to reveal rows of daggered fangs, light sparking deep within his throat. 

For a moment the world is frozen, time dripping like honey as the sparks gather, Law's feet stuttering to a halt, Straw Hat standing frozen beside him as the glow intensifies, a high whine filling the air. The light peaks, the air around Kaidou's maw almost throbbing with the heat, flickering tongues of flame licking between his fangs-

_"No."_ Straw Hat cries, eyes fixed on the hill high behind them, the ruins of Oden Castle just visible, and then Kaidou is roaring, the whole world shuddering as the sky is pierced by a blinding torrent of flame. Law flinches, shielding his eyes, but even then he can feel the prickling heat of it against his skin, can see the way the uppermost branches of the forest burst into flames, even almost a hundred meters below the direct path of the fire.

When the light finally peters out, the flames replaced by stuttering smoke, there's nothing left of Oden Castle but a crater, the hill itself carved away by the sheer force of the heat. For a painful moment Law can do nothing but stare. If Bepo and the others were still there- No, Law tells himself. They were evacuating, already leaving. They got out in time. They _have to_ have got out in time. 

Straw Hat sucks in a sharp breath, and Law is abruptly jarred from his thoughts. He rounds on him. "Straw Hat, wait-"

It's too late. Straw Hat coils, muscles going taught with tightly leashed energy, and then he's gone, lunging up into the air directly towards Kaidou. Law twists, trying to track him. _"Shit."_

Straw Hat is little more than a blur, a dark shape darting through the sky, and Law can't help but note how small he looks next to Kaidou, a sparrow mobbing a hawk. Then Straw Hat's arm is drawing back, skin glinting dark with Haki as his arm expands, activating Third Gear. He catches Kaidou right across the top of his head, the hit landing with a resounding _crack_ as Kaidou is knocked from the skies and sent crashing down on top of Okobore Town. 

Law allows himself a single moment of shocked incredulity, and then the snaps to action, throwing himself back into a sprint and extending a _Room._ By some stroke of luck, Straw Hat managed to land the first hit, but that likely won't keep Kaidou down for long. Law needs to get there, and _quickly._

A _shambles_ snatches him up, dropping him on the outskirts of Okobore Town just as Kaidou's sinuous body begins to shift, clawed feet digging into the earth as he lifts himself back up with a rumbling growl, beady eyes blinking. The citizens of Okobore Town run screaming, fleeing out into the wastes for what little shelter that'll give them. Kaidou's great head turns, eyes fixing on something in the town, and Law doesn't need three guesses to know exactly where Straw Hat is. 

He can already hear cries go up as the rest of Kaidou's men notice Straw Hat's presence. Law wastes no time, darting down the street, _shambling_ when the crowds threaten to choke the street. "There he is." Jack the Drought growls, prowling down the street towards, Hawkins a step behind him. "Gather the Gifters-"

"Not so fast." Law says, landing lightly in the street before them, a ripped paper lantern dropping to the ground where he'd been standing. 

"Trafalgar." Hawkins says coldly. Jack the Drought draws up beside him, eyes narrowing. "I should have known it was you. An alliance to take down Kaidou? I would have thought you were smarter than this."

"Guess you were wrong." Law says, sliding Kikoku from its sheath. 

"You can't seriously think he's going to win?" Hawkins says, eyes tracking the sight behind him. Law can hear the great rumble of Kaidou's voice behind him, the words indistinct through the deep growl of his voice. Law tightens his fingers around Kikoku's hilt, not daring to risk a backwards glance. Straw Hat will have to take care of Kaidou, Law's going to have his hands full just trying to keep Hawkins and Jack the Drought from interfering. 

"We'll see." Law says, clipped. Jack the Drought makes an incredulous noise, snorting, and steps forward. Law meets him with the sharp of his blade, catching the first attack as Jack the Drought swings. Law bares his teeth, darting under Jack the Drought's guard on his next swing, only to vanish and reappear behind him with a quick _shambles_ as Jack the Drought twists, striking down on where he'd been standing a second previous. 

The beginning of Straw Hat and Kaidou's fight is impossible to miss, even caught up in his own fight. The entire town seems to shake when Kaidou moves, the shifting of his enormous bulk enough to topple buildings, fire filling the skies as Kaidou releases his terrible roar once more. Every hit Straw Hat lands on him resounds like an earthquake, the ground shaking when Kaidou hits the dirt, the screams of its inhabitants rising in pitch as more of Okobore Town is dashed to pieces beneath Kaidou's careless bulk. 

It's a clash of giants, and yet even at full power, Straw Hats attacks don't seem to be having much effect. It bodes ill. Law ducks another sweeping attack from Jack the Drought, dropping abruptly as Hawkins spits a handful of nails at him, the dark metal singing as it glances his shoulder - the cold bite of the metal enough to mark it as seastone. Shit, he hadn't counted on Hawkins using seastone, not when it binds his own powers too. 

Law darts back, barely avoiding another volley of nails, and _shambles_ onto a nearby roof just as one of Jack the Drought's scythes carve through the street. The wood creaks beneath his feet, splintered and unsteady, and Law almost loses his footing, rolling across the rooftop, only to stop short when there's a terrible crash from the other side of town. 

Hawkins and Jack the Drought pause their assault, their attention caught just as surely as Law's, turning just in time to see Straw Hat go flying, Kaidou's kanabo catching him right across the front, the force of the blow enough to send a shockwave through the air. Straw Hat hits the ground hard, crumpling, and doesn't get back up again. 

_No._ Law twists, throwing himself into sequence of quick _shambles,_ darting across the rooftops. If he can just get to Straw Hat-

The nails catch him right as he steps out of a _shambles,_ shoulder flaring in a bright burst of pain as the nail hits, blood spilling down his arm as his body abruptly goes cold and numb, powers stuttering as he tries to call for another _Room_ and can't. 

"You won't escape that easily." Hawkins calls, already closing in. Law curses, throwing himself down off the roof just as Hakwins' blade whips towards him. He hits the ground hard, wrenching the nail from his arm as he goes, and throws himself into a sprint, quickly extending a _Room._

He drops to the ground only a few Straw Hat, lunging for him, only for another volley of seastone nails to catch him across the side. Law deflects them with a twist of Kikoku, the nails screeching as they hit metal, but he isn't fast enough to catch Hawkins sword before it hits, carving a line of fire across his side. 

Law hisses, _shambling_ away before Hawkins can send another set of nails his way, reappearing on the other side of the court yard. The edges of the clearing, already crowded, are only growing more so as more of Kaidou's men flood in. Law can see Jack the Drought across the way, and more commanders beside. Kaidou still stands at the center of the destruction, eyeing the fight with a bored sort of disinterest. Law can see the exact moment Kaidou dismisses them, his gaze flicking away.

"Take care of them." Kaidou says, not sparing Law a second glance as his body stretches and shifts, skin darkening and extending as Kaidou assumes his Zoan form, taking to the sky. His men cry their assent, advancing eagerly, Hawkins raising his sword once more. 

Law's eyes meet Hawkins' for a split second, and then Law is moving, lunging for Straw Hat even as Hawkins releases another volley of nails. The world goes blue, _Room_ extending as far as Law can push it, sweeping out until it passes the edges of Okobore Town, Bakura Town, until he can feel the fleeting heartbeat of Kaidou's retreating form in the corner of his mind. Law's eyes catch on Straw Hat, fingers reaching, straining to close the gap-

His fingers brush fabric even as one of the nails clips his shoulder, just missing him as world vanishes, _shambles_ taking him-

Only for Law to land heavily in the forest, fingers closing around empty air.

Law snarls, slamming his fist into the trunk of the tree as he slumps back, clutching his side in an attempt to stem the bleeding. His fingers come away red, his yukata growing dark with blood. His head falls back, head hitting the tree with a low thunk. _"Fuck."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the mega-update. I tend to prefer to update my stories in big chunks, so here's what I've been working on the last few months. I'm neck deep in writing the Wano arc right now, so don't worry, there's more to come :)
> 
> As always, please let me know if there's anything you particularly liked. Comments are food for the soul, and I always really enjoy hearing about what you guys thought. Thanks for reading and have a nice day :P

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought :)


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